EU funding of PAC
11.7.2017
Question for written answer E-004656-17
to the Commission
Rule 130
Marijana Petir (PPE) , Fulvio Martusciello (PPE) , Lars Adaktusson (PPE) , Patricija Šulin (PPE) , Bas Belder (ECR)
The Popular Art Centre (PAC) is a Palestinian nongovernmental organisation (NGO) that is the co-recipient of an EU ‘Cultural Diplomacy’ grant (worth EUR 200 000 for 2015-2017), the stated purpose of which is ‘to increase public awareness of EU core values and enhance visibility of the EU cooperation in Palestine through cultural diplomacy … to ensure maximum EU public outreach, in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, by participating in major Palestinian cultural events, performances, and festivals.’
In February 2016, the PAC organised a ceremony in honour of ‘Palestinian martyrs’ whose homes had been demolished, featuring the ‘father of the martyr Baha Eleyan’ as a speaker. Eleyan was one of two terrorists to board a bus in Jerusalem in October 2015 armed with a gun and a knife, murdering three people and injuring seven others. The same event featured a musical performance captioned ‘no to laying down guns’.
The EU claims that it ‘funds projects submitted by NGOs, in line with (the) EU’s fundamental principles and values, but not NGOs themselves.’ However, the PAC was explicitly funded for the purpose of ‘increas[ing] public awareness of EU core values’. Can an organisation that honours terrorists be trusted with this objective? Is the Commission aware of the PAC’s activities?