| Author (Person) | Cronin, David |
|---|---|
| Series Title | European Voice |
| Series Details | Vol.11, No.32, 15.9.05 |
| Publication Date | 15/09/2005 |
| Content Type | News |
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By David Cronin Date: 15/09/05 Police forces from several member states could launch joint investigations into charities suspected of providing finance to terrorist groups under an initiative being prepared by the European Commission. Following US claims that charities based in Europe have raised finances for the Palestinian militant organisation Hamas, the Commission has set about drawing up a code of conduct for the voluntary sector. As a first step, the Commission is to study all comments received in an eight-week public consultation by Monday (19 September). It has prepared a paper citing "evidence that non-profit organisations have been exploited for the financing of terrorism and for other kinds of criminal abuse". The paper recommends that every EU government should operate "publicly accessible registration systems" for charities that wish to collect funds from the public or take advantage of preferential tax treatment. Teams involving several police forces could be formed - at the request of a government, Europol or Eurojust, the European police and judicial co-operation offices, to investigate allegations that money collected by charities ends up in the hands of extremists. The Commission is to publish a draft code of conduct for charities in early November. Britain, the current holder of the EU presidency, wishes to have an agreement on the code from the Council of Ministers in December. The Commission's discussion paper has caused consternation among some non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Simon Stocker from Eurostep, which links together anti-poverty groups including Oxfam and ActionAid, said that it "raises doubts about the integrity of the sector". The effect, Stocker predicted, could be that individuals would be more reluctant to donate money to charity. "If you create the spectre that voluntary organisations are responsible for funding terrorism, then you open up all kinds of possibilities for vague accusations," he added. "If you're accused of that, there is no way to easily counter it." The National Council for Voluntary Organisations in England has complained that the consultation exercise was inadequate as it took place during the summer holiday period. "The other problem is that the Commission is coming from a negative standpoint," said spokesman James Asser. "The risks of money being used for terrorism seem to be exaggerated." But Friso Roscam Abbing, the Commission's spokesman on justice, freedom and security, said that the institution would "listen very carefully" to comments from charities before putting forward the November proposal. He described some of the criticisms as "over the top". Since the 11 September 2001 attacks, the Bush administration has frozen the assets of several European organisations accused of financing Islamic extremists. They include Interpal in the UK, the Palestinian Association in Austria and France's Comité de Bienfaisance et de Secours aux Palestiniens. However, an inquiry by the Charities Commission in Britain found that money raised by Interpal was used for purely humanitarian relief in the Palestinian territories. The Commission's proposal is likely to include suggestions made by the Financial Action Task Force on money-laundering. A source from the task force's secretariat in Paris said that evidence has emerged of charities being abused by terrorists. A code of conduct would be "beneficial" for genuine charities and "is not something they should be afraid of", the source added. |
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| Subject Categories | Politics and International Relations, Security and Defence |
| Countries / Regions | Europe |
