Slow progress on human rights protection may affect EU aid

The still sorry state of human rights protection in the country may prove to be a major roadblock to obtaining cheap funds for the government as the European Union (EU) stated it will re-prioritize its aid to deve-loping countries, including the Philippines, putting more emphasis on democracy and human rights and that the assistance may focus this time on fewer countries that mainly uphold the EU criteria.

At the launch of the new policy on Oct. 13 in Brussels, European Union Commission for Development Andris Piebalgs said addressing these two key areas would ensure maximum impact of EU assistance on poverty reduction.

“I want to make sure that every euro reaches those that need it most,” Peibalgs said. “Fighting poverty abroad is EU’s insurance policy for a more stable and prosperous world.”

The European Union – the world largest overseas development assistance donor – stressed that commitment to human rights, democracy and rule of law are preconditions before any assistance is provided. In the Philippines, human rights violations allegedly perpetrated by the country’s security forces have persisted, continuing to hound the government

of President Aquino. Although incidents of human rights violations have decreased when Aquino assumed to power, his government has yet to take sufficient steps to hold perpetrators of killings and other abuses accountable.

A European Commission (EC) document noted that “commitment to the fundamental values of human rights, democracy and rule of law is essential for the establishment of any partnership and cooperation between the EU and third countries.”

A large bulk of EU aid is delivered in the form of budget support or financial transfers to recipient governments’ national treasuries. In 2010, it provided 53.8 billion euros or more than 50 percent of global aid. The EC is responsible for the management of 11 billion euros of aid a year.

In the Philippines, the EU is one of the country’s largest providers of development assistance and aid, focusing on health and alleviating the plight of tens of thousands of villagers displaced by the fighting between government troops and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels in strife-torn Mindanao.

“We must keep pace with changing realities in the world and adapt the way we fight poverty as a result. That’s why I’m proposing… that we refocus our aid priorities to ensure that countries are on track to achieving sustainable and inclusive growth,” Piebalgs said.

Under the EU’s “Agenda for Change,” the Union will implement a more target allocation for funding, meaning future EU spending will concentrate on sectors that will promote growth and development. It will also identify “target countries that are in the greatest need of external support and where aid can make a difference.

The list of priority countries that will receive most of European assistance have yet to released by the EU.

Piebalgs said the EU is in the process of drafting an “objective criteria” wherein more support will be given to the poorest or “fragile countries,” based on income per capita of each state.

Aside from concentrating on a few recipients, the EU said it would also focus on other key areas like social protection, agriculture and food security and clean energy.

The EC will ask EU Foreign Ministers to endorse the new EU budget support approach in the first quarter of 2012. –Michaela P. del Callar, Daily Tribune