Brussels, 22/08/2000 (Agence Europe) - Accused by World Food Programme (WFP) sources of not having made any contribution this year to this United Nations programme, the European Commission formally denies the allegation and points to aid provided since the beginning of the year (136,000 tonnes of food aid) and the aid programme of EUR 90 million, decided by the Commission mid July, for which the contract is to be signed this week.
A WFP spokesperson had declared last Friday during a press conference in Geneva that the WFP is currently negotiating with the European Commission but has not as yet received anything this year. The spokesperson had added that she did not know why no aid was forthcoming. This information is wrong, replied a Commission spokesperson, who was somewhat surprised by such accusations coming just before the signing of the EUR 90 million contract for 2000. Any delay in the adoption of this aid package can be partly attributed to the WFP and the form of contract that it is requesting, assures the Commission. The aid will, says the spokesperson, allow aid of 154,000 tonnes of cereals, 7,500 tonnes of vegetable oil, 1000 tonnes of sugar and EUR 8.5 million for other products, mainly vegetables. In addition to the EUR 90 million, a supplementary contribution of EUR 13 to 15 million is said to be under examination in Brussels.
The European Commission, the second largest WFP contributor after the United States, each year provides between 20 and 25% of the programme's needs. In 1999, the contribution was EUR 109 million, said the Commission spokesperson. Furthermore the WFP "is not the only EU partner for food aid, which is also provided through non-governmental organisations". The Community budget for 2000 allows the Commission to devote EUR 463 million to food aid (commitment appropriations).
Asked again on this issue on Monday, neither the spokesperson for WFP based in Geneva, nor WFP headquarters or its press services, in Rome, had, after several hours o having been questioned, clear answers either on the 136,000 tonnes of aid already provided or the aid programme. According to WFP, this programme is "being negotiated", whereas the Commission assures that "there is no longer anything to negotiate, it simply has to be signed".