Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-06-20-Speech-3-202"
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"en.20070620.22.3-202"2
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".
Mr President, Mrs Ferrero-Waldner, ladies and gentlemen, let me express my sincere thanks to the rapporteur. We have analysed the recommendations and largely agree with Parliament’s assessment of the MEDA programme and, of course, with its conclusions.
The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, which was difficult enough before, has further deteriorated. The hospitals are completely overcrowded and are short of medical supplies. The vast majority of the population of Gaza are dependent on food aid. Aid organisations have had to suspend some of their activities because they fear for the safety of their staff – and rightly so, I am sorry to say, as was shown by the deaths of two UNRWA workers caught in crossfire during gun battles.
At Monday’s meeting of the General Affairs Council, the Foreign Ministers of the European Union called for an immediate end to the violence and assured President Abbas of their full support for his decisions. They decided to resume normal relations immediately with the new government under Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and declared their intention to create conditions in which the provision of direct financial and practical assistance could also be resumed. The Foreign Ministers also reaffirmed that they did not wish to leave the people of the Gaza Strip without humanitarian assistance in their present distress. Other conclusions that may have to be drawn in the light of the new situation are currently being discussed.
The introduction by the European Union of the temporary international funding mechanism TIM in June 2006 has played a significant part in meeting the most urgent needs of the beleaguered Palestinian population. The structure of TIM is transparent, and the mechanism has proved to be a flexible and effective instrument.
Last year alone, the European Commission and the Member States provided more than 300 million euros’ worth of direct aid to the Palestinian population through TIM and are continuing to make their payments in the present situation, in which these funds have become even more crucial. This needs to be underlined and emphasised time and again, because a different picture is occasionally painted, even in the media. For this reason we also welcome the decision of the Middle East Quartet to extend the TIM mandate for another three months until the end of September.
In your report you rightly call on Israel to release the tax and customs revenue it has been withholding from the Palestinians. The European Union has also made repeated calls to this effect, most recently in the conclusions adopted by the General Affairs Council at its meeting on 18 June. The Israeli Government has announced – as you know, we had talks with the Israeli Foreign Minister, Tzipi Livni – that it is now ready to release the funds.
We very much hope that this will give the Palestinian economy a desperately needed boost too. This is another area in which the prospect of a political solution depends on a perceptible improvement.
The European Union is already active in another area to which you referred, namely the essential reform of public finances, including financial control and auditing. The Commission is assisting the Palestinian Ministry of Finance in the ongoing development of transparent structures for the Palestinian budget.
The aim of the European Union is, and will remain, two states – Israel and Palestine – living side by side in peace with each other and with their neighbours in the region. We want to help in the long-term creation of better living conditions for the Palestinians instead of engaging in crisis management. The last few weeks have made it crystal-clear why this is an urgent necessity.
The report concludes that the support provided by the MEDA programme served its intended purpose and rendered an important contribution to the achievement of the MEDA objectives. It also recognises that the aid was consistent with the development plans and needs of the recipient countries. I want to be quite emphatic about that, because I still recall certain discussions.
The Council acknowledges the Commission’s efforts, which have led to perceptible improvements in the speed and efficiency of planning within the MEDA II framework.
The MEDA programme has now been completed, and the first of January 2007 marked the switch to the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument. The ENPI is a tailor-made instrument for the implementation of the European neighbourhood policy.
The European Parliament has called for the development of cooperation among Europe’s partner countries in the Mediterranean region, and this is being done through the ENPI Southern regional programme, to which EUR 343.3 million is being allocated by 2010.
We share your view that the continued pursuit of the Barcelona process is of vital importance to the whole region. The fact that we have managed, in spite of the tensions in the region, to address substantive issues and make further progress together shows that the Barcelona process, our Euro-Mediterranean dialogue, is still the right framework for the pursuit of change in the Mediterranean region.
The Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly makes an important contribution to closer North-South relations through its interparliamentary dialogue. All of us, whether in civil society, government or parliament and in spite of our diverse structures and responsibilities, have the aim of nurturing our partnership with the Mediterranean region and the will to work together to that end.
Let me now move on to the part of the report that deals with financial assistance for the Palestinians. Before discussing the report, however, I would like to mention that we have been following the latest developments in the Palestinian territories, and especially in the Gaza Strip, with deep concern. The violent clashes between Fatah and the radical Islamist movement Hamas in the past week have claimed more than 100 lives and left many people with serious injuries.
The Hamas militias have effectively taken control of the territory, using brute force against the legitimate national security forces, civilians and aid workers. In this situation, President Mahmoud Abbas has been compelled to dissolve the Unity Government, declare a state of emergency and appoint an emergency government. The deal that was struck between the Palestinian factions with Saudi Arabian help in Mecca in February has thus collapsed, and the involvement of Hamas in the government of the country has been ended."@en1
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