Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-06-20-Speech-3-215"
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"en.20070620.22.3-215"2
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"Mr President, it is highly important to recognise that there is an important connection between MEDA and the new Neighbourhood Policy. It is true that we have achieved a great deal: the Mediterranean countries are now working together with us, for the first time, not only multilaterally but also bilaterally, i.e. not only the Mediterranean and Barcelona programmes but also bilaterally in the Neighbourhood Programme.
The European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument is a special instrument which builds on MEDA as regards programming and implementation. However, we have tried to concentrate and focus a little more in order to increase efficiency.
With regard to ECHO, Mr Michel, who is responsible for ECHO, has made everything possible; EUR 60 million from ECHO funds has already been allocated this year to the Palestinians via UN organisations and NGOs.
Allow me to speak briefly about OLAF. As you know, the Director-General mentioned that he has to respect the various rules and regulations of OLAF. At the same time, however, he has delivered a résumé of the main conclusions, around ten pages approximately, in a special report to the Committee on Budgetary Control. He has also offered to attend that committee to answer questions in a closed session. However, I must make it clear that this would concern money for the years 2001-2003 only and not the last period.
Allow me to return to the difficult question of Palestine and of our funding there. First of all, you know that this is a European Union policy, not just a Commission policy, and therefore it is the Member States in unanimity which have decided on policy, and we have then tried to support this as much as we could. Therefore, when the National Unity Government was formed, it did not take us long; I held my first meeting with Salam Fayyad the following week. I had already met him before he was in government, and we tried to see what could be done. It was
who said that we have to take some time: you have the Temporary International Mechanism so use it for the time being. However, I am obliged to issue an order to the Finance Ministry, to the single treasury account. He then also opened a special PLO account, but this was never the account that we used. This was intended to be used for money from the Arab countries, in particular, and perhaps also for Israeli money which, in the end, did not materialise.
Therefore, it should be clear that this was an EU policy. Now there is a new situation, to which we reacted immediately, and so has and had the Quartet. I have just outlined what can be done as regards this policy.
In response to the Member who mentioned micro-credits, we want to assist in jumpstarting the economy and, for that reason, we are paying arrears to the entrepreneurs from the EUR 22 million that was a reserve programme. This has not been done for a long time and we have now activated that, therefore we will also have good financial control over it.
On the whole, we have done what we can and have always taken into consideration that the Palestinian people should not suffer. We try to at least assist them."@en1
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