Written question asked by Lord Warner (Labour), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Baroness Northover (Liberal Democrat) on Monday, 30 April 2012.

EU: Financial Assistance

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any financial assistance provided by the European Union to Israel is used to cover the costs of holding in custody Palestinians charged or accused of terrorism.

Answer: The European Union does not provide financial assistance to Israel to cover the costs of holding in custody Palestinians charged or accused of terrorism. In July 2008, the EU and Israel signed a financing agreement to allow support for Israel under the European Neighbourhood Policy Action Plan. Most of this funding covers the costs of the twinning and technical assistance and information exchange instruments and has been used to support technical work on equal employment opportunities and veterinary services legislation, as well as a series of expert seminars and workshops. The remainder of the funding has been used to support the Euro-Med Youth programme and the Tempus programme to modernise higher education.

Secondary information