AID AGENCIES Concern and Trócaire have urged the Government to seek changes to plans for the new EU diplomatic corps, arguing that the proposals advanced by foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton have the potential to damage Europe’s development work.
As debate intensifies over the structure of the nascent European External Action Service (EEAS), the two agencies have sent a joint letter to Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin asking him to strengthen the place of development policy in the new institution.
They want the Minister to ensure a specific reference to the legal basis for EU development policy in the new body, and new safeguards for its primary objective of poverty eradication.
“As currently envisaged, the EEAS may significantly undermine development and lead to the use of development aid monies for other areas of foreign policy,” Trócaire director Justin Kilcullen and Concern chief Tom Arnold wrote.
Meanwhile, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) figures released yesterday show cuts in the State’s overseas development budget mean Ireland has dropped a place from its position as sixth most generous donor on a per capita basis.
Ireland cut its overseas aid budget by 18.9 per cent in 2009 when measured in US dollars, as the OECD does. Only Austria and Italy performed worse in terms of delivering on aid promises. Aid agencies pointed out that some countries, including the UK, US and Spain, increased their aid spending, despite the recession.
“Although many countries, including Ireland, continue to blame the financial crisis for aid cuts, the continued commitment of some governments to increase aid suggests a lack of political will, not resources, is to blame,” said Mr Kilcullen.
Hans Zomer, director of Dóchas, an umbrella group representing Ireland’s development non-governmental organisations, said 2010 would be a key year for OECD and EU member states to act on commitments to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015. “If rich countries fail to deliver, it will be impossible to achieve the MDGs,” Mr Zomer added.