Brussels, 18/02/2010 (Agence Europe) - The 27 European development ministers meeting in La Granja (EUROPE 10079) were unanimous in considering that the financial and climate crises can under no circumstances be used as an alibi for slowing down the payment of aid promised by the EU for attaining the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). In their view, the very fact that the crisis weighs as a threat over the MDG should mean a greater, more sustained effort is required.
Soraya Rodriguez, Spain's Secretary of State for International Cooperation, who chaired the work, stressed: “We need an agenda, a roadmap for 2010-2015 to reactivate the goals in order to save not only those for which progress has already been made but also those for which no progress has been made, that have even fallen back”. This, she said, requires “the political will to keep to the agenda and the necessary resources”.
All hope that, at the UN summit on the MDG (New York, September), the EU will speak with a single voice to make its position heard while drawing lessons from the climate conference in Copenhagen where, last December, Europeans were unable to make their voice heard. The consensus was just as unanimous on the need for new sources of funding that are both sustainable and in addition to the existing official development assistance (ODA).
Andris Piebalgs, Development Commissioner, pointed out that, according to OECD figures published on 17 February (EUROPE 10080), the EU will not reach its objective of 0.56% in 2010 (when it will be 0.46%), but “this is an intermediary stage”, he said wishing not to dramatise, calling for it “not to be forgotten that the EU is the main ODA provider in the world as it provides for 60%”. He above all welcomed the fact that ministers had renewed and considered as feasible the EU's commitment to allocate 0.7% of its GNI to ODA by 2015. A peer review should be established, he said, going on to add: “This means that, each year, the EU should devote a further €10 billion to development”.
Andris Piebalgs told ministers that, in April, the European Commission will present a “package” on the MDGs comprising an inventory of progress already made by the EU in its contribution to achieving these goals (the documents will be based on 2009 figures) and on four proposals referring to the quantity of aid provided and to its quality (efficacy, consistency).
The commissioner welcomed the discussion on the effectiveness of aid and the international sharing of work with a view to best using the millions of euro that are wasted. On this point, the Commission will also put forward proposals. “I believe that the Council is very committed to making the support given to Haiti a success story for the people of Haiti and for aid effectiveness”, said Andris Piebalgs. International cooperation on aid to Haiti over and beyond the emergency phase was the subject of a debate between the development ministers; Kristalina Georgieva, the commissioner for internaitonal cooperation, humanitarian aid and crisis response; Andris Piebalgs; Edmond Mulet, who is the UN special representative in Haiti; and Rajiv Shah, the administrator for the United States Agency for Development, as well as Eva Joly and Louis Michel, invited to represent the European Parliament. EUROPE will come back to this. (A.N./transl.jl)