Brussels, 28/02/2007 (Agence Europe) - In order to increase European Development Aid, it is appropriate that the member states and the European Commission, that are leading donors for recipient countries, cooperate by taking full advantage of their pooled added value rather than by hampering each other, as effort lost through duplication would be to the detriment of developing countries. Convinced of this need, the European Commission adopted a communication on 28 February on the complementarity of development aid and the division of labour between member states and the Commission, recommending the adoption of an operational code of conduct.
The voluntary code of conduct will set out ten principles for a better breakdown of tasks between EU donors in developing countries. The Commission suggests that 28 European donors should strengthen the complementary nature of their intervention within one and the same beneficiary country, that each donor should limit its intervention in a partner country to two priority sectors at most in which there is a comparative advantage in terms of know-how, and that a donor should delegate to another the implementation of an aid project in a partner country.
Louis Michel, Development Commissioner, who inspired this new initiative, said the volume of aid from the EU, which is the largest donor, justifies such an approach, as he underlined on 28 February when presenting the Commission communication to the press.
“In 2005, the EU was already providing over half of official development aid worldwide, that is €50 billion, and had pledged to substantially increase the volume of development aid. The year 2006 was Europe's first test of credibility: our intermediary objective to reach, together, 0.39% of GDP was reached, if not surpassed, and we are on the right track for reaching the 0.56% target in 2010”, he said. Citing the exemplary case of Sweden, which exceeded 1% in 2006, Germany and Spain - two latecomers that clearly changed course - and ten new member states that have doubled their aid since accession, the Commissioner toned down his enthusiasm saying that a large part of additional aid takes the form of debt relief rather than a “sustainable commitment”. But quantity is not enough. Quality is also necessary, namely efficient and swifter aid. The “Brussels Consensus” adopted in 2005 for development policy priorities over five years and the beginning of common aid programming, is, according to Louis Michel, decisive progress in this direction. The Commissioner underlined, however, that a lot needed to be done, in terms of division of labour. “There are money lenders active in the same countries, in the same sectors. Overlaps are a cause of superfluous spending. It is abnormal that a finance minister in a developing country receives on average two hundred missions from money lenders a year, whereas in Kenya, money lenders purchase medicines by way of 13 bodies responsible for tenders! Aid has to improve things and not become a burden. The code of conduct we are proposing is based on best practices. It will allow for an injection of funds where they are most necessary and in a way that will help contribute most effectively to the eradication of poverty”.
Guidelines that he has established will help put a stop to the trend encouraging member states to focus their aid on countries that succeed the best, such as Mozambique, while neglecting other such as Central Africa and Somalia. The Commissioner explained that, “each country will establish its priority countries. It is necessary that each country has at least one European money lender present to prevent” countries being deprived of aid.
Why is it so difficult to progress towards this objective of a fair division of labour, that has been pursued for so many years? Commissioner Michel believes that it is, “mainly because, in this area of shared responsibility, member states display a reflex action in seeking to hoist their flag over every project they fund - I've got nothing against this, but I think that a European flag would provide more visibility - and for historical reasons, and a preferred economic agenda, some countries have given a priority to countries they feel closer to. No-body can contest this right, but they are not considering development policy as a separate policy when Eurobarometer surveys of citizens consider that this is an area in which Europe obtains added value and where they want more Europe. I am appealing for this”.
And to those who ask him why not leave it up to the competent international organisations such as the World Bank, the Commissioner responded emphatically: “I am not one of those who think that Europe should be a one-stop shop, a charitable body. Europe is a political entity founded on values. Why should it not have its own development policy, its own projects? Some would like to see Europe as an NGO, not too involved in the organisation. Myself, I do not want to see a Europe which is reduced to less than the sum of its parts!”.
In response to a journalist who invited him to give his opinion on China's development aid policy, which is becoming an ever greater factor in Africa, the Commissioner said that the Chinese aid was “non-conditional” and “much more rapid than European aid”, which is subject to very bureaucratic procedures. The Commissioner, who stated that he did not wish to make a judgment on the absence of conditions, said he was in favour of collaboration between the EU, China and Africa. “I plan to organise an EU/Africa/China meeting for joint programmes, triangular programmes, for example in the area of infrastructure”, Louis Michel declared, announcing that he would travel to China “probably in June”. (an)