Spain accused of ‘forgetting’ fight against poverty

Date: 14/02/02

By David Cronin

SPAIN'S leading development agency has accused the country's EU presidency of focusing too much on the fight against terrorism and not enough on the fight against poverty.

Intermón Oxfam claims Madrid is not maintaining the momentum set by EU development ministers, who declared last October that alleviating poverty should be a key priority in 2002.

'After 11 September, there were good moves and commitments during the Belgian presidency to achieve not only a safer world but also a fairer world,' said the group's director-general, Ignasi Carreras.

But anti-poverty objectives receive no more than a cursory reference in Madrid's official programme for its six-month stint at the Union's helm, he added.

'When we look at the declarations of the Spanish presidency, we think they have forgotten about the fight against poverty, that is very much a secondary priority for them.'

Visiting Brussels yesterday (13 February), Carreras said Spain had been one of the EU countries most reluctant to fulfil the target, agreed by all member states, of devoting 0.7 of its gross domestic product (GDP) to overseas development aid.

In its recently approved annual aid budget, Madrid is allocating just 0.23 of its GDP for that purpose.

EU participants at next month's United Nations conference in Monterrey, Mexico, on finding development must sign up to a timetable, he added, stating when the EU's states should hit the 0.7 goal.

Development Commissioner Poul Nielson yesterday urged all member states that fall below the current EU average of donating 0.33 of their GDP should at least bring their aid budgets up to that level by 2006. This would be a 'way forward' towards the 0.7 'end goal', he said.

The World Bank has estimated that aid from industrialised to developing nations is at its lowest level since 1947. It has declined in recent years from €64 billion in 1999 to €60.7 billion in 2000.

Nielson argued that the EU should 'lead by example' on development aid, particularly by making its farm, fisheries and arms exports policies more compatible with its aim of slashing poverty.

'The present crisis will have an impact on economic development worldwide and it will be once again the poorest who will pay the highest price,' he said. 'We must counter this tendency.'

A spokeswoman for the Spanish presidency said claims that it was not devoting enough energy to development were 'not true'. Madrid would be providing information to development campaigners, outlining what specific action it is taking, she added.

Spain's leading development agency, Intermón Oxfam, has accused the country's EU presidency of focusing too much on the fight against terrorism and not enough on the fight against poverty.