EU must be more visible in policy development in third countries
20 October 2011 News
When development aid is distributed, this must happen in a way that is visible. This was one of the key messages from European Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs in talks today with Bulgarian Deputy Foreign Minister Dimitar Tsanchev. Commissioner Piebalgs outlined the proposals that he had made last week in regard to development policy, entitled Agenda for Change.
The package of proposed changes is based on the need for a pragmatic approach to the allocation of development aid to third countries. Deciding priorities should be done after careful analysis of the location, so that after the EU withdraws from a given region, the functioning of a project in that region may continue independently. A decisive factor in the granting of aid would be the achievements of the recipient countries in the fields of democracy, respect for human rights and rule of law.
Commissioner Piebalgs said that countries like India, China and Brazil should not be included in the list of countries receiving aid from the EU, while in Africa there were huge economic opportunities that can be used by EU Member States, Bulgaria in particular. Commissioner Piebalgs said that Ministries of Foreign Affairs should have the leading role in decision-making in policy development in Member States.
In this context, Deputy Minister Tsanchev described Bulgaria's contribution in sharing experiences with countries in North Africa and the Middle East along the path of reform and transition. He emphasised Bulgaria’s commitment to participate actively in EU actions in the region, as required, and in the building of institutional capacity.