Brussels, 21/03/2013 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission's 2012 report, published on 20 March, highlights that the Palestinian Authority (PA) made “reasonable progress” in 2012 on implementing the action plan “in the areas where it is able to exercise control”. The report gives as examples the holding of local elections, the improvement of public finances, and the entry into force of the agreement on continuing the liberalisation of trade in agricultural and fish products. However, the challenges imposed by Israeli occupation and the deepening of the financial crisis have continued to impact on the PA, “threatening its viability and undermining its ability to deliver essential services to the population”. The EU is concerned about the freedom of expression and the freedom of assembly, about the impossibility of holding national elections - which diminishes the PA's democratic legitimacy, and about the continued suspension of the work of the legislative Assembly.
The PA must advance in the intra-Palestinian reconciliation, must work towards the holding of presidential and legislative elections, and must begin work on the post-2014 Palestinian national development plan, the European Commission's report states. Current expenditure must be rationalised, and the legal and institutional framework needed for the integrated management of water and waste-water must be developed. Reform and development of the Palestinian security sector, the adoption of a unified criminal code, and clarification of the responsibilities of the three main judicial institutions are all challenges to be addressed. (CG/transl.fl)