Special Report No 14/2013: European Union direct financial support to the Palestinian Authority

The Luxembourg-based European Court of Auditors published a report on the 11 December 2013, on the EU's 'Pegase' programme.

It noted that the European Union had paid the Palestinian Authority (PA) around €200m a year between 2008 and 2012 to cover public sector salaries.

Beneficiaries are supposed to meet basic EU criteria.

But in Gaza, up to 24% of people on the payroll of the PA's health and education ministries did not show up to work in 2010.

• Primary Source

EUObserver, 10.12.13: EU pays salaries of phantom workers in Palestine http://euobserver.com/foreign/122429

European Commission: RAPID: Memo, MEMO/13/1132: EU Direct Financial Support to the Palestinian Authority http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-13-1132_en.pdf

BBC News, 11.12.13: EU 'must stop paying Gaza officials' - auditors http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25330437

EurActiv, 11.12.13: Auditors slam EU for paying Gaza officials who don't work http://www.euractiv.com/global-europe/auditors-slam-eu-paying-gaza-off-news-532281

EUR-Lex: COM(2013)852: Replies of the Commission and the EEAS to the Special Report of the European Court of Auditors ‘European Union Direct Financial Support to the Palestinian Authority' http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM:2013:852:FIN

ECA: Press Release, 11.12.13: “EU Direct Financial Support to the Palestinian Authority needs an overhaul”, say EU Auditors http://www.eca.europa.eu/Lists/ECADocuments/INSR13_14/INSR13_14_EN.pdf

ECA: Special Report No 14/2013: European Union Direct Financial Support to the Palestinian Authority [PDF] http://www.eca.europa.eu/Lists/ECADocuments/SR13_14/SR13_14_EN.pdf

---