WRITTEN QUESTION E-0636/01 by Theresa Villiers (PPE-DE) to the Council. EU funding to Yasser Arafat.
Date: 2001-03-08
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU aid, Palestine question, international aid, the EU's international role

C 340 E/56

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

4.12.2001

Given that the Transcaucasian countries are priority countries for the European Union, will the Council
say:

1. Does Armenia receive aid under the EU(cid:146)s external aid programme?

2. What levels of aid will it be proposing for Armenia?

3. What aid sectors does it intend to cover?

Reply

(13 July 2001)

Armenia receives considerable assistance from a number of international donor organisations. The United
States is the largest donor with a USAID assistance budget in 1999 of USD 90 Million with a main focus
of employment creation. TACIS (the EU programme) is among the largest providers of technical assistance
in addition to EU Member States and UN agencies. Armenia has also received considerable international
support in various forms from the Armenian Diaspora.

From 1996 to 2000, the Community aid programme amounted to € 129 million (€ 83 million of which
disbursed).

The current TACIS Action programme concentrates on the following priority areas:

(cid:129) Support for institutional, legal and administrative reform.

In this area the following projects have been identified:

(cid:129) To continue support to the Armenia-EU Policy, Legal and Advice Centre (AEPLAC) to ensure

smooth implementation of Armenia(cid:146)s international obligations.

(cid:129) To support the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia in view of strengthening its

capacity to manage effective legislative process.

(cid:129) Support to the Private Sector and Assistance for Economic Development.

In this area, a project will establish the principles of a Credit Guarantee Fund and will assist the small
enterprises in the identification and the purchasing of needed equipment.

(cid:129) Development of Infrastructure Networks.

In this area, the activity will concentrate in the energy sector. In view of developing local alternative
sources of energy to be able to close down the Medzamor Nuclear Power plant, a project will
strengthen the hydropower sector, through the rehabilitation of selected hydropower plants and
feasibility studies for a new hydropower plant.

In addition, Armenia will benefit from participation in the Small Project Programmes, (Tempus (cid:129) Policy
and Legal advice (cid:129) Statistics (cid:129) Institution Building Partnership Programme).

Other Community funded actions of interest to Armenia are financed separately through the Inter-State
Programmes (such as Traceca and Inogate).

Finally, the EU provided in 1998 an exceptional financial assistance to Armenia which amounted MECU
28 in the form of a single tranch loan facility and up to MECU 30 in the form of a grant to be disbursed
in successive annual tranches from 1998 to 2002.

(2001/C 340 E/064)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0636/01

by Theresa Villiers (PPE-DE) to the Council

(8 March 2001)

Subject: EU funding to Yasser Arafat

Could the Council please confirm whether any EU funding has been passed directly to Yasser Arafat

1.
in cash?

4.12.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 340 E/57

If so, could the Council confirm:

(cid:129) what sums have been so paid;

(cid:129) how much has been paid;

(cid:129) what dates such payments were made;

(cid:129) whether it is planned to continue to make payments in this way;

(cid:129) from what budget line these payments came;

(cid:129) what the specified purposes of the budget line in question were;

(cid:129) what precautions the Council is taking to ensure that the funds are used for the specified purposes;

(cid:129) whether payments in cash breach any rules, laws, regulations or principles of good management?

Specifically, could the Council confirm whether a decision has been taken to pay Mr Arafat between

2.
€ 20 and € 30 million per month for as long as the emergency in the Middle East lasts?

Reply

(13 July 2001)

The Honorable Member(cid:146)s questions have been addressed also to the Commission, which is responsible for
the management of EU support for the Palestinian Authority, regarding the disbursement of funds.

The Council at its session on 26 February 2001 stressed the need for the EU to play an important role in
a concerted international effort to avoid economic and institutional collapse in the Palestinian territories. It
emphasised that the necessary conditions for a functioning Palestinian economy must be assured.

To that end the Council decided that the EU should urge the Palestinian Authority to draw up, in close co-
ordination with the IMF, a revised restrictive budget in order to provide the basis for international support
and request the Authority to take effective measures against corruption and towards more democratic
transparency.

The EU would further work with urgency for an international donor meeting and encourage other donors
to pledge funding in support of the Palestinian budget. It would make full use of the funds available under
the existing cash facility in favour of
the Palestinian Authority (cid:129) in a concerted effort with the
international community (cid:129) in the framework of a long-term approach

The approach adopted by the Council has been pursued by Presidency and Commission in subsequent
contacts with the parties, notably during the visit of the President of the Council and the Commissioner for
Foreign Relations to the region on 12/13 March.

(2001/C 340 E/065)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0642/01

by Camilo Nogueira RomÆn (Verts/ALE) to the Council

(8 March 2001)

Subject: The European Parliament and the proposed EU Constitution

In connection with the reform of the Treaties which was decided upon in Nice and which is scheduled for
2004, the European Parliament is, according to the Commission, the appropriate body to draw up
democratically and submit the necessary texts, which may be constitutional
in nature. Is the Council
therefore going to take decisions acknowledging Parliament(cid:146)s central role in this matter?