Answer given by Mr Füle on behalf of the Commission
7.8.2012
1. The total cost of physical damage inflicted by Israeli armed forces attacks on EU‑funded Development Projects amounted approximatively to EUR 49.14 million for the period from 2001‑11, with the estimated EU‑funded share in the loss amounting to EUR 29.37 million. The list requested is attached.
2a. No. It should nevertheless be noted that in the vast majority of cases, the donor was an EU Member State.
2b. The EU Representative Office in East Jerusalem has protested to the Israeli Ministry of Defence and asked for compensation for the ‘on going’ projects. On other occasions, the property damaged had been transferred to the final beneficiary and the EU has therefore no more legal title to the property.
2c. There are currently no plans to do so. Such cases can be raised in the appropriate Association Council fora with Israel and by diplomatic ways.
2d. It is not clear if codified procedures would be helpful, given the great diversity of scenarios possible and the difficulty of drawing up a code which would address all of these in an effective manner.
2e. The EU Representative Office in East Jerusalem is currently requesting Member States for any information in order to update the list of damaged infrastructure if necessary. The Commission aims, by publicly associating itself in a visible way with the infrastructure projects in the Occupied Palestinian Territory financed by the EU, to at least discourage demolition or damage on the part of the Israeli authorities. Discreet demarches are often more effective than public announcements in such occasions. To that end it would not be appropriate to divulge the precise content of discussions with Israel on such matters.
OJ C 193 E, 04/07/2013