HC Deb 20 January 2000 vol 342 cc562-3W
Mrs. Gillan

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans she has to review the efficiency of the EU aid budget. [105691]

Mr. Foulkes

We published a strategy paper for our collaboration with the European Union in December 1998 with 18 specific objectives for improving the effectiveness of the European Community's development programmes. Several of these objectives have been achieved and we continue to review the strategy regularly. We welcome the commitment of the new European Commission to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of European Community assistance but will continue to press them to establish a coherent overall development policy, to increase the proportion of European Community development assistance directed at low income and least developed countries, and to improve the management of European Community programmes.

Mr. Streeter

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the recent changes to the European aid programme. [105728]

Mr. Foulkes

We welcome the commitments made by the new European Commission to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the European Community's development programmes. Many of these commitments reflect positions in the strategy paper on working with the European Union published by our Department in December 1998. In particular, the Development Commissioner, Poul Nielson, and the External Relations Commissioner, Chris Patten, both called for a clearer poverty focus and for a considerable improvement in the Commission's management of its programmes. In addition, negotiations on a successor to the Lomé Convention governing the EU's relation with 71 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries due to conclude next month should adopt significant improvements in the development focus of the European Development Fund.

However, as evaluations in recent years have shown, the impact of EC programmes has been poor and major changes are needed to improve this. We are therefore continuing to press the Commission to follow through on their commitments, and notably to adopt an overall development policy, to increase the proportion of European Community development assistance directed at low-income and least developed countries, and to improve the management of European Community programmes.