WRITTEN QUESTION P-2266/99

by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(24 November 1999)

Subject: Expulsion of the Greek section from the Médecins sans Frontières NGO

The Greek section of the Médecins sans Frontières NGO was recently expelled on the grounds that it helped both sides involved in the Kosovo crisis without permission. This has prompted serious concern about the implementation of the principle that urgent humanitarian aid should be distributed to a population in distress without ethnic or religious discrimination a principle that the European Union itself subscribes to. Given that the activities and programmes of Médecins sans Frontières are funded largely by the European Union.

Will the Commission say:

1. Is the expulsion of Greek doctors for the reasons given above at odds with the positions adopted by the European Union on humanitarian aid? How does it intend to respond to this move, and what measures does it intend to take?

2. The Greek section of Médecins sans Frontières has submitted for approval (ECHO) a humanitarian aid programme for the psychiatric hospital of Toponica (near the City of Nis). In view of the above, how does the Commission intend to deal with this application so as to endorse the principle that humanitarian non-governmental organisations should intervene in crises purely on the basis of humanitarian criteria without regard for any political or other considerations?

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(7 December 1999)

1. In its relations with its partners, the European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO) scrupulously respects their independence, as is laid down moreover in the Framework Partnership Agreement (FPA) governing their mutual relations..

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is one of ECHO's most important partners, whose work at international level was recently recognised with the award of the Nobel Peace Prize. MSF is a non-governmental organisation, currently represented by 18 sections throughout the world. Six of these sections have been set up and recognised within MSF International as operational sections, i.e. MSF France, MSF Belgium, MSF Netherlands, MSF Spain, MSF Switzerland and MSF Luxembourg. The operational sections of MSF have signed the FPA with ECHO.

Section MSF Greece implements its own projects, a fact which might appear to generate some conflict within the association. This is an internal matter for the organisation and concerns it alone.

2. MSF Greece submitted an application to sign the FPA in March 1997, at a time when the FPA was undergoing a review. ECHO nonetheless recorded the application with a view to examining it in detail once the review was complete.

Since January 1999, the date when the new FPA came into force, ECHO has given priority to signature with its established partners. ECHO has now signed the new FPA with 159 non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Pending the enlargement of the network of partners, whenever one of ECHO's operational units expresses interest in taking action on a measure proposed by an NGO which has not signed the FPA, ECHO requests the Member State in which the organisation's head office is located to certify the NGO's compliance with the criteria set out in Article 7(1) and (2 ) of Council Regulation 1257/96. The action that ECHO then takes will depend on the reply received from the Member State concerned.

At present, ECHO is assessing a proposal from MSF Greece concerning the tuberculosis ward of the Topinica psychiatric hospital near Nis, which is urgently in need of assistance. Assuming that it endorses this proposal, ECHO will then apply the above-mentioned procedure to determine whether MSF Greece can be accepted as a partner.