Transparency in funding for Arab and Israeli NGOs
19.3.2013
Question for written answer E-003077-13
to the Commission
Rule 117
Fiorello Provera (EFD) , Charles Tannock (ECR)
Under the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights, as well as other initiatives such as the Partnership for Peace, the EU provides substantial amounts of funding to support non-governmental organisations in both Israel and the Palestinian territories, yet there have been a number of media reports which suggest that, while discussions on EU funding for troubled regions and countries such as Iran, Somalia and Sri Lanka are openly discussed, there is little available information or transparency on the rationale and decision-making processes underlying the award of grants to organisations involved in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
1. What steps is the Commission taking to guarantee transparency in the award of grants to and the use of funds by NGOs dealing with the Arab-Israeli conflict?
2. What measures are currently in place to ensure that European citizens or elected representatives such as MEPs can independently evaluate the Commission’s decision-making process in the light of the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights and the Partnership for Peace Programme?
3. Can the Commission confirm that the European Court of Justice recently upheld the Commission’s right to withhold information on the destination of EU funds to Palestinian NGOs, and can it state why these matters are shrouded in secrecy when there are very real concerns among experts on these matters that some of these funds may be supporting, or have links to, organisations supportive of extremist ideology which do not share the EU’s values of democracy and human rights?
OJ C 11 E, 15/01/2014