15/05/2020

Question for written answer to the Vice-President of the Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on EU funding to persons/organizations linked to EU-designated terror groups

On 30 April 2020, Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff, head of the EU Office to the West Bank and Gaza Strip, wrote in a letter to the Palestinian NGO Network (http://www.pngo.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/EU-Clarification-letter-regarding-the-EU-funded-contracts1.pdf) that “a natural person affiliated to, sympathizing with, or supporting any of the groups or entities mentioned in
the EU restrictive list is not excluded from benefitting from EU-funded activities unless his/her exact name and surname (confirming his/her identity) corresponds to any of the natural persons on the EU restrictive lists.”

Von Burgsdorff’s statement contravenes Art. 1.5 bis. of Annex II of the “General conditions applicable to European Union-financed grant contracts for external actions.”

In light of the above,

  1. Can the EEAS confirm that no funding has been given to persons/organizations linked to EU-designated terror groups?
  2. What actions does the EEAS plan on taking in relation to the Mr Von Burgsdorff’s statement?
  3. Is the EEAS considering a review of the EU’s overall funding rules to ensure that persons/organizations linked to EU-designated terror groups are not eligible to EU funds?

The above written question was submitted by Anna-Michelle Asimakopoulou (PPE), Lukas Mandl (PPE), Alexandr Vondra (ECR), Carmen
Avram (S&D), Petras Auštrevičius (Renew), Nicola Beer (Renew), Frédérique Ries (Renew), Antonio López-Istúriz White (PPE), Charlie Weimers (ECR), Elissavet Vozemberg-Vrionidi (PPE)

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