Brussels, 18/01/2002 (Agence Europe) - The broad outlines of the position the European Union will be defended on Monday at the ministerial Afghanistan Donor Conference in Tokyo (21/22 January) were revealed on Friday afternoon, following two days of discussions among Member State diplomats. The Spanish Presidency will speak first at the conference, followed by the European Commission and then the Member States to express the EU's desire to send a strong and credible message of support for the interim Afghan government and the Afghan people.
The EU will stress that its aid is conditional on the full implementation by all the Afghan ethnic groups of the full letter and agreement of the Petersberg agreement on the formation of a broad-based, multiethnic and fully representative government committed to promoting equal opportunities between men and women and improving the position of women in Afghanistan. It will insist on the importance, for the international community, of ensuring a coherent and coordinated approach for humanitarian aid, immediate needs and reconstruction of the region.
The Member States and the Community wish, moreover, to demonstrate that the EU is ready to take on a fair share of the rebuilding effort by making a "significant" financial contribution to it. The EU at least agreed on the financial commitments for the year 2002: EUR 200 million from the Community budget for assistance to the reconstruction of Afghanistan, and over EUR 350 million from national Member State contributions (which brings the total to EUR 550 million for 2002). The EU should continue this substantial effort over the longer term but discussions at Coreper do not at this stage allow the financial effort to be renewed for five years in the same proportions (mainly because of the impossibility of committing multiannual amounts under the heading for external actions from the Community budget, the principle of adopting the budget year by year, and the uncertainty that weighs on the possibility of having a constant yearly margin under the ceiling of Heading 4 of the Financial Perspectives).
We recall that the Commission hopes to be able to contribute at least to one quarter of the total amount of funds mobilised by the international community for the reconstruction of Afghanistan (for which the preliminary estimates of needs amount to 11.3 billion euro over five years), that is to say at least 2.5 billion euro. Were the 550 million euro to be extended for five years, this goal would be easily attained (2.75 billion euro). .EUROPE has reason to believe that according to the announcements made by Member States on Friday, those countries said to be the most generous (in gross figures) are Germany, followed by the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, France and Spain.