Slashing development aid would hurt world’s poorest, MEPs warn

6-2-2013 — /europawire.eu/ — Cross-party MEPs have urged EU ministers to reject a President Van Rompuy proposal to slash the EU’s development and humanitarian aid, in a letter ahead of budget talks later this week. Cutting this investment would be a false economy and hit the world’s poorest, they warn.

“EU aid costs each European only €0.50 per week…. Any agreement on the MFF should protect this investment, which represents only 6% of the total budget and has significant impact. In the past five years it has paid for more than 10 million children to go to primary school and provided 32 million with clean water”, says the letter signed by Development Committee political group coordinators.
“Development aid is dedicated to areas and people that need European solidarity more than ever as they suffer the unfair and terrible consequences of financial, economic and climate crises for which they are not responsible”, said Eva Joly (Greens/EFA, FR), Chair of the EP Development Committee.
The MEPs’ letter has been sent to all EU ministers attending the General Affairs Council this week, ahead of talks on the 2014-2020 budget at the EU summit on Thursday and Friday.

See the full content of the letter attached.

Background
Budget proposals for Heading 4 – External relations:
Commission – EUR 70 billion;
Van Rompuy – EUR 60.67 billion;
Difference – EUR 9.3 billion (a cut of 13%)

Budget proposals for EDF:
Commission – EUR 30.3 billion;
Van Rompuy – EUR 26.9 billion
Difference – EUR 3.02 billion (a cut of 11%)

Van Rompuy proposes an overall cut of 7.5% to the Commission’s figures.

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