Development Policy

The European parliament today adopted a report assessing the progress made in reaching the UN Millennium Development Goals (1). Commenting on the vote, Green MEPJudith Sargentini, Member of the Development Committee,said:

"Four months before the mid-term review of the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals by the UN, the assessment of the progress achieved gives a mixed picture: We are not on track to reach those goals, a failure due also to the EU and its member states, who didn't develop ambitious enough policies.

Most European countries still have not achieved the goal of 0.7% GNP towards development co-operation. The economic crisis is for many countries even a reason to cut their development aid, while the food and energy crisis is felt most severely in developing countries.

During the next five years we need a catch up. The Greens want the European countries to finally take their responsibility for the success of the Millennium Development Goals. As a start, all European countries should spend 0.7% GNP on development aid.

More coherence in EU policies should be the pavement of our road to success. We should stop those subsidies we give to European farmers, which make it hardly possible for farmers in developing countries to survive. The EU has also to abandon its aggressive policy of trade liberalisation, if it really wants to help the poorest countries" 

Note to editors:

1) Cashmen report on a mid-term review in preparation of the UN high-level meeting in September 2010 on progress towards the achievement of the Millenium Development Goals (MDG)