PES Manifesto

Victor Negrescu: Development cooperation in the EU

Publié mardi 26 février 2008 à 13h05
par negrescuvictor (vu 1075 fois et 1 commentaires)

The EU member nations invest several million euros into the development cooperation and education cooperation all over the world. The main countries that benefit from these are those facing transition to democracy and third world countries.

But does this work?

Actually, on some levels it works and on others is far from happening. For instance, these investments are good for the countries where they go, but unfortunately the lack of a true EU common foreign policy and strategy are deterring the effects that these funds could have in those societies. For instance, the new European member countries have to invest several millions euros into the cooperation projects but the lack of information, mostly on the citizens’ level, creates several problem like how and in which direction they should invest these funds.

Romania for instance is financing with around 30 millions euros per year projects involving these kinds of cooperation projects. The countries which benefit from these funds, thanks to the NGO’s which have developed their activity there, are countries from the region like Moldavia, Georgia, Ukraine, Serbia … Shouldn’t we think at a common policy on the EU international cooperation? Shouldn’t we try to build up a common cooperation strategy that is in the benefit of all the European countries and NGO’s and most of all in the benefit of the countries that we try to help? Shouldn’t we promote the EU values through these funds, like solidarity, diversity or tolerance?

The answers to these questions aren’t going to come as soon as that but is up to us as socialists and social democrats from Europe to try to build up “common” interest.

Tags: blogueur de la semaine, développement, solidarité