Bamako, 26/04/2005 (Agence Europe) - During the ACP/EU Parliamentary Assembly, last week in Bamako (Mali), MEP Astrid Lulling (Christian-Democrat, Luxembourg) criticised in her usual frank manner not only the European countries, that she says are not doing enough to support developing countries, but also the African regimes that turn a blind eye to the needs and aspirations of their peoples. The fact that the EDF (European Development Fund) currently has EUR 11 billion that are not being used says much about the effort still to be made, also by ACP countries, she said. She went on to point out that these public funds are ”intended to improve the quality of life of their population, and not that of the leaders”. Ms Lulling spoke her mind saying: “May I add that it is hard to explain to taxpayers that an African State that produces more barrels of oil per capita than Saudi Arabia needs development aid. It is also difficult to make our taxpayers swallow the idea of increasing development aid to a State whose President of the Republic builds palaces worth millions of euros while his population dies of hunger (…) I know it is never pleasant to hear the truth. But, given that I attended a Joint Assembly for the first time in 1966, thirty years ago, in Ivory Coast, I consider I am entitled to speak it”. (For the work of the Assembly, see EUROPE 8931, 8932, 8933 and 8934).