Anti-poverty groups criticise EU over Asia

Date: 19/09/02

By David Cronin

ANTI-POVERTY campaigners have strongly criticised EU policy on Asia ahead of a meeting between the Union's leaders and their counterparts from ten Asian states.

They are hosting an alternative summit at the same time as the fourth Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM IV), which takes place in Copenhagen next week (22-24 September). The event will urge the EU to behave more generously towards Asia, where two-thirds of the world's people live on less than one euro per day.

In a paper, British Overseas NGOs for Development (BOND) rebukes the Union for allocating just 7 of its aid to Asia in 1998-99. Turkey, it says, gets twice as much from the EU as Bangladesh.

BOND spokeswoman Belen Vazquez contends that EU aid is 'not well-targeted, not reaching the poor' and lacks coherence with other policy areas. Since the 11 September atrocities, aid may become subordinate to politics, the BOND report claims, adding the intense focus on clamping down on terrorism since then has 'potentially massive consequences' for donations to Asia.

Although the EU froze cooperation with Pakistan during its military coup in 1999, for example, it has since decided to grant €165 million to the country in 2002-2006. A statement on the Commission website said President Pervez Musharraf's role in the coalition against terrorism justified 'a significant and visible engagement with Pakistan'.

BOND also lambasts the EU for redirecting some 15 of funds already earmarked to other projects in Asia and Latin America to Afghanistan in 2002, rather than raising new money for the war-shattered country.

However, in a recent speech on preparations for ASEM IV, External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten defended EU policy on Afghanistan - a 'partnership of equality' with Asia was the aim, he said.

Anti-poverty campaigners have strongly criticised EU policy on Asia ahead of the fourth Asia-Europe Meeting, Copenhagen, 22-24 September 2002.