Brussels, 30/10/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 30 October, Sweden's Foreign Affairs Minister Margot Wallström announced that her government recognised the state of Palestine by decree. “Today the government takes the decision to recognise the state of Palestine. This is an important step that confirms the Palestinians' right to self-determination”, she said in Swedish daily newspaper Dagens Nyheter. “The government considers that international law criteria for recognition of a Palestinian state have been fulfilled”: a territory “although without fixed borders”, a population and a government, said Wallström, hoping that “this will show the way to others”.
The leader of the S&D Group at the European Parliament, Gianni Pittella, welcomed this decision, which he believed was “a fundamental and courageous step towards a two state solution - the only solution that can resolve the conflict between Israel and Palestine”. “The EU, as such, should be much more involved in the peace process, starting with the urgent recognition of the need to establish two different state entities capable of cooperating side by side for the sake of both Israeli and Palestinian people”, he added. The spokesperson for High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton told EUROPE on 6 October that the EU had “always said that it would recognise a Palestinian state when it was appropriate” (see EUROPE 11170). The recognition of a state is the competence of each EU member state.
While the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, welcomed Stockholm's “brave and historic” decision, Israel believed that the recognition was “unfortunate” and “will strengthen extremist elements and the Palestinian-pursued policy of refusal [of the recognition of Israel]”.
According to the Palestinian Authority, the state of Palestine is recognised by 134 countries, including Sweden and seven other EU countries - the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Malta and Cyprus. The latter seven countries had recognised the State of Palestine before they became members of the EU. (CG)