The European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) met with EUPOL COPPS and EUBAM Rafah representatives in Ramallah.
EUPOL COPPS’ Deputy Head of Mission, Jesper FRIEDRICHSEN, together with EUBAM Rafah’s Deputy Head of Mission, Mario PELLEGRINO, briefed this delegation on the missions’ mandates, daily activities, challenges and future, and also on the broader European Union’s support to the Palestinian Security Sector and Justice Sector Reform.
The Delegation of the European Parliament (EP) is responsible for ‘maintaining and developing Parliament's international contacts’, while focusing on ‘the parliamentary dimension’, which in this case refers to relations with the PLC. Following the European Parliament’s elections of June 2009, the new Delegation for relations with the Palestinian Legislative Council was set up in September (for the 2009-2014 parliamentary term).
The Delegation was chaired by MP Pronsias DE ROSSA (Ireland, Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats), and it was composed by the its Vice-Chair, MP Margrete AUKEN (Denmark, Greens), MP Gaston FRANCO (France, European People’s Party), MP Nicole KIIL-NIELSEN (France, Greens), MP Robert ATKINS (UK, European Conservatives and Reformists Group), MP Patrick LE HYARIC (France, Confederal Group of the European United Left/Nordic Green Left), MP Niccolo RINALDI (Italy, Group of the Alliance of Democrats and Liberals for Europe), as well as by Michael REINPRECHT (Head of Unit DG Expo Euromed and Middle East Unit) and Christian GARRIGUES (Coordinator, DG Expo Euromed and Middle East Unit).
These EP representatives are in the region in the context of the celebration of the 10th Interparliamentary meeting EP-PLC, which included a visit to the Gaza Strip.
