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UN asks EU for greater support

Wednesday, 04 February 2015 1:20 AM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 04 February 2015 1:20 AM ]

Jerome Hughes
Press TV, Brussels

United Nations Deputy Secretary General, Jan Eliasson, is hosted by EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, in Brussels. He has lobbied her, and a number of EU Commissioners to gather more support in dealing with various crises around the world. The UN points out that €4.7bn was pledged by 50 countries last October to help the stricken Palestinians in the war-torn Gaza strip but so far only a fraction of the money has been paid.

The 50-day assault last summer by Israeli forces on Gaza killed thousands of civilians including women and children. Campaigners say the EU should hold Israel to account for the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the oppression of Palestine.

The EU has also been accused of providing a lacklustre response to other humanitarian crises that have resulted from conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Ukraine and Central African Republic, to name but a few.

Critics say that unless major reforms take place it will never be possible for the European Union to respond quickly and effectively to any given crisis. This is because the bloc's 28 member states have their own foreign policies and so formulating a coordinated approach is complicated by politics and therefore takes time.

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