How the EU Treaty will impact on International Development issues

In light of the recent debates in parliament about issues surrounding the EU Treaty I thought it would be worthwhile to highlight the impact of the Treaty on issues concerning International Development. 

The UK has been at the forefront of international development reform and the Department for International Development (DfID) is internationally recognised as the world’s leading development organisation.  Over the last ten years DfID has increased aid from £2.1 billion in 1997 to £7.93 billion in 2010, written off 100% of debt owed by the world’s most Heavily Indebted Countries, ensured 90% of UK bilateral assistance goes to low income countries and has played a key role in progress on the Millennium Development Goals.

Similarly, DfID’s programmes and international leadership have contributed to significant results on the ground.  It has lifted 3 million people permanently out of poverty each year, helped to abolish school fees in many of the worlds poorest countries, committed to £1.2 billion of health spending in developing countries by 2010 and helped to provide clean water to 7.5 million people in Bangladesh and almost 2 million people in India.

Under the UK’s Presidency, the G8 also agreed an historic package including the increase of aid by $50 billion a year by 2010 and free education for all.
 
The UK’s success in delivering and reforming international aid also depends upon working with our European partners.  Europe is the world’s largest aid donor, a significant humanitarian aid supplier and the world’s largest trading block.  There have been substantial improvements in European aid effectiveness since reform began in 2000.  As we all recognise however, more needs to be done and this treaty provides a unique opportunity to improve the coherence of European aid structures and further help drive aid effectiveness.

The recent Treaty has major implications for international development and advances the UK government’s reform agenda in Europe, placing European Union (EU) aid on a legal footing for the first time and helping it deliver development aid more effectively.
The Treaty contains important legal reforms which will help improve aid effectiveness.  For example, it ensures for the first time that EU development aid is only used to tackle poverty and that humanitarian aid is only allocated on the basis of need, without consideration to recipient’s origins or beliefs.  It also enshrines in law that non-aid policies should not harm, and where possible, should support progress towards development goals.

This is vitally important for a number of reasons.  Europe is the world’s largest aid donor with 57% of global official development assistance (£25 billion in 2006).   Europe is also a significant humanitarian aid supplier – its humanitarian aid funding was £525 million in 2007, helping 18 million people in more than 60 countries.  Moreover, as the world’s largest trading bloc the EU is the largest trading partner for developing countries and is thus a very significant global player – its policies really matter to development.

I hope that you find this informative.  The debate surrounding issues of international development is of real importance and I am pleased that the EU Treaty formally recognises the importance of coordinated and cohesive action on these issues.  At a time when the debate on the Lisbon Treaty has focused almost exclusively on the question of a referendum I wanted to keep you up to date on what in my view really matters – how we can ensure that Europe best delivers on issues like international development.