Press Release
22 November 2005
Europe agrees common vision for development
European Development Ministers meeting today in Brussels agreed for the first time a common vision for development. It focuses on eradicating poverty and meeting the Millennium Development Goals, particularly in the poorest countries.
The meeting was chaired by UK Secretary of State for International Development Hilary Benn, who said:
"This year has already seen the European Union show global leadership on providing aid to the developing world, with a pledge to double aid volumes by 2010.
"By agreeing a common vision on how European aid money should be spent, we have shown that we want to deliver better aid as well as more aid. Given the EU provides over half of all world aid, this will make a huge difference to the lives of millions of poor people.
"I hope that the statement will now be adopted by the European Parliament - which would be the first time a development policy statement has been agreed between the European Council, Commission and Parliament.
"In delivering on our commitments to double EU aid by 2010, Ministers agreed to provide more long-term, predictable aid to poor countries, so better helping them to plan for the future.
"We also discussed the importance of providing aid to help developing countries improve their capacity for trade. We noted the European Commission's commitment to increase its aid for trade to 1 billion Euros by 2010, and the UK, acting as Presidency, agreed to put forward a set of proposals on aid from Member States to assist poor countries' ability to trade before the WTO Ministerial in Hong Kong."
Ministers also discussed the new European Union-Africa Strategy to be adopted at the December European Council. This sets out how the European Union (EU) will help support Africa's development, with governance, infrastructure, HIV & AIDS, peace and security, migration and the importance of African ownership being priorities.
After three years of negotiation, the General Affairs Council also saw Member States formally untie all aid channelled through the European Commission. This will ensure that developing countries receive the most suitable aid possible.
Ministers discussed the EU's response to the South Asia Tsunami, noting that of the 556 million Euros pledged for humanitarian assistance, 452 million - 80 per cent - has been disbursed. They also discussed ways to improve the EU's response to disasters like the Pakistan Earthquake. Ministers recognised that there is a continuing need for contributions to the immediate relief effort.
Gareth Thomas, UK Minister for International Development, reported on the Pakistan earthquake donor conference in Islamabad on Saturday 19 November, at which he represented the UK Presidency of the EU. The total amount pledged for both relief and long-term reconstruction is now around US$5.8 billion (around 4.9 billion Euros). This includes US$1.9 billion (1.6 billion Euros, £1 billion) in cash grants and assistance in kind, with the remaining US$3.9 billion (3.3 billion Euros, £2.3 billion) in concessional loans. The European Union has pledged around 600 million Euros.
Notes to Editors
1.
The European 'Consensus on Development' has been agreed by the European
Council and Commission, and is expected to be endorsed by the European
Parliament before the end of the year. The Parliament has been involved
throughout.
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