Brussels, 08/12/2011 (Agence Europe) - MEPs on the foreign affairs committee put forward their thoughts on Thursday 8 December on the new European democracy fund. The author of the report containing a draft recommendation by the European Parliament to the Council on the arrangements for the possible creation of a European democracy fund, Alexander Graff Lambsdorff (ALDE, Germany) said that the fund must be a “subsidy mechanism” and not have “co-funding criteria”. “Who will benefit from this fund?” asked Hans-Gert Pöttering (EPP, Germany). Opinions differed: NGOs, political foundations or local players in direct receipt of funding.
Véronique De Keyser (S&D, Belgium) was concerned at possible duplication with existing instruments, including the European instrument for democracy and human rights. “I wouldn't like existing instruments to be weakened through duplication of effort or by having money taken from them. Where will we get the money to create this fund? No one has said! It mustn't be a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul”, she said. Pawel Robert Kowal (ECR, Poland) pointed out that there is no provision for this instrument in the EU 2012 budget.
MEPs also highlighted the importance of the role of the Parliament. The rapporteur proposed that MEPs, in addition to monitoring the fund from a budgetary point of view, should form part of the management board of the foundation that will manage it, “to determine the thrust of this fund”. Pöttering said that the Parliament should have a “role to play” in defining the conditions for managing the fund.
The aim of the fund is to support deep, sustainable democracy in the countries neighbouring the EU. (CG/transl.rt)