WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2870/97 by Alexandros ALAVANOS to the Commission. Havoc caused by hailstorm in region of Greece
Date: 1997-09-11
Institutions: ALAVANOS, European Parliament
Subjects: Structural Funds, Thessaly, aid to disaster victims, bad weather, damage, farming sector, indemnification, natural disaster

16. 4. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 117/87

Answer given by Mr Marin on behalf of the Commission

(16 October 1997)

The Commission is highly concerned about the draft Israeli law for handing of claims arising from security force
activities in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip, 5757-1997. The Commission has been made aware of the fact that
the  proposed  legislation  would  effectively  exempt  Israeli  security  forces  from  most  tort  liability  towards
Palestinian victims of the former(cid:146)s activities in the Occupied territories during the (cid:145)Intifadah(cid:146).

The draft law largely expands the definition of (cid:145)combatant activity(cid:146) to encompass the vast majority of incidents
provoking  injuries  to  Palestinians,  in  a  manner  contradictory  to  prior  rulings  of  Israeli  courts,  including  the
Supreme court.

The draft law underwent its first reading at the Israeli Knesset on 30 July 1997. The Knesset committee must now
meet to decide to which committee to send the draft law. The relevant committee will then review the draft law
and decide whether or not to return it to Knesset (with any amendments it may decide to make). If returned, it
must then pass a second and third reading before becoming law. Knesset committees can meet during the recess
that will last until the Knesset plenary reconvenes on 2 November 1997.

Despite the active mobilisation of Israeli human rights organisations, the draft law has not generated a great deal
of discussion among the public at large.

The  Commission  believes  that  the  draft  law  in  its  present  form  would  violate  international  human  rights
standards  by  undermining  the  basic  principle  of  the  right  of  victims  of  human  rights  abuses  to  seek  fair
compensation  recognized  inter  alia  in  the  International  covenant  on  civil  and  political  rights  and  the  United
Nations Convention against torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. As the draft
law  only  applies  to  Palestinians  and  not  to  other  nationalities,  it  would  also  violate  the  prohibition  on
discrimination in international human rights law.

The Israeli authorities are well aware of the importance which the Community, and the Commission, attach to the
rule of law and to strict respect for international human rights standards. The monitoring of human rights and
respect  of  democratic  principles  in  countries  linked  to  the  Community  by  association  agreements  is  done  in
accordance with the rules of the common foreign and security policy. Under the present interim agreement with
Israel,  the  latter  is  already  subject  to  a  periodic  monitoring  regarding  respect  of  these  principles.  The
Commission uses every appropriate opportunity afforded by its regular contacts with the Israeli authorities to
express its views on the human rights situation in Israel.

Once ratification of the recently concluded Euro-Mediterranean association agreement between the Community
and Israel is completed, the Community as a whole will be in a better position to exercise a positive influence
regarding all human rights-related issues in the framework of the political dialogue with Israel established by the
agreement.  A  particular  human  rights  clause  stipulates  that  respect  for  human  rights  constitutes  an  essential
element of the agreement.

(98/C 117/108)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2870/97

by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(11 September 1997)

Subject: Havoc caused by hailstorm in region of Greece

On 9 August 1997, an unprecedented hailstorm struck farms in the Thessaly region, killing animals and severely
damaging  houses  and  barns.  Given  the  enormous  extent  of  the  damage  caused  over  an  area  of  more  than
7 000 hectares, mainly to farms growing cotton, maize, vegetables and tobacco, which will result in financial ruin
for producers in these regions, what measures will the Commission take to provide the necessary compensation
for the producers affected?