Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-03-10-Speech-3-308"
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"en.20040310.10.3-308"2
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"Mr President, normally a scientific and technological cooperation agreement is straightforward, very welcome and an occasion for optimism, especially if it is the successor to earlier agreements on which good scientific work has been done. Sadly, this agreement cannot be straightforward. From the scientific point of view, collaboration with Israel is no doubt useful in the Sixth Framework Programme. It is a strong scientific country and, as we have heard, some very useful Mediterranean-wide projects, including research into water treatment, have been carried out and could be carried out in future. However, we are not discussing a normal country or a normal part of the world. Israel is not a normal country because many of the present government's actions are completely unacceptable: building a fence, occupying territory, breaching human rights, using repression. Despite some joint scientific work with Palestinians, I have had complaints regarding barriers to some of that work.
Our Group considered very carefully whether to vote in favour of this agreement. There are two perfectly valid, tenable points of view. One could say – as some will – that signing or ratifying this agreement will be perceived as giving the green light and an encouraging signal and endorsement to the actions of the Israeli Government. That is certainly not the intention. In the past the European Parliament has very successfully asked for scientific cooperation to be frozen. Some Members advocate voting against this agreement and indeed taking much further action to show the Israeli Government our disapproval. A second alternative – and the one that I recommend – is to consider that science and research are positive, that the results of that work are of benefit to human beings and that this allows dialogue and provides an opening for work with Palestinians.
Other points can certainly – and probably will – be made in political dialogue. There may be cause for action elsewhere. We have had long discussions and have come to the conclusion, in majority – although not unanimously – that the second alternative, to put faith in the possibility that the scientific dialogue, without any endorsement of the Israeli Government's actions, will bring some progress. We have great reservations. We want Palestinian participation without barriers or handicaps. Of course we want no nuclear, military or dual-use research. We want a very close monitoring of the situation. We want the EU-Israel Research Committee to report regularly so that we can see whether this act of faith in the value of science has been worthwhile or has been misinterpreted by a government whose actions we condemn."@en1
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