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How the EU Funds Settlements in Occupied Territory - in Northern Cyprus

(Kohelet Policy Forum) Eugene Kontrovich - The EU claims it has an obligation to keep its money from going to Israeli entities in the territories. Yet the EU provides substantial direct financial assistance to settlements in occupied territory - in Turkish-occupied Northern Cyprus. The EU's official policy is that the Turkish occupation is illegitimate and it does not recognize the Turkish government in Northern Cyprus. Nonetheless, the EU maintains an entire separate program to direct funds to Northern Cyprus. Pursuant to a 2006 regulation adopted by the EU to "end the isolation of the Turkish Cypriot community," it allocated 259 million euros over five years, and now provides an annual 28 million euro allocation for scholarships for students, developing the private sector, infrastructure improvements, and funding to upgrade "cultural heritage" sites. The EU is doing exactly what its claims international law prohibits in the case of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Indeed, the EU maintains an office in Northern Cyprus to oversee its over 1,000 grant contracts whose primary and intended beneficiaries are Turkish settlers. The writer is a professor at Northwestern University School of Law.
2013-10-04 00:00:00
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