Accountability Report shows Member States need to step up on development

The European Commission has today published a review of the progress the European Union and its Member States are making on financing for development. The annual accountability report finds the EU to be far behind on delivering its aid targets, and estimates that ‘at the current pace there is a delay of about 25 years on the path to 0.7%’, the commitment made by member states to invest 0.7% of national income in aid by 2015.

The report comes after the launch of ONE’s DATA Report 2012 which analyses Member States progress towards their global and African development aid targets. ONE’s DATA Report focuses in on aid commitments to Africa and also found Europe falling short of its promise to give 50% of all aid increases to the continent.

Eloise Todd, Brussels Director, of ONE says:

“The Commission’s annual accountability report is another important reminder to Member States of their commitments to developing countries. Promises are slipping and they must work to get back on track.  There is an opportunity for member states to get closer to their targets if they ring fence development spending in the next EU budget negotiations.”

Europe’s leaders are engaged in budget negotiations as they set out the next multiannual financial framework 2014-2020. ONE is working across Europe to protect the €30bn European Development Fund and the €21bn Development Cooperation Instrument as negotiations on the €1 trn 7-year budget intensify. Leaders discussed the budget for the first time at the European Council meeting on 28-29 June. The conclusions of that Council meeting reaffirmed the EU27’s commitment to reaching 0.7% GNI/ODA by 2015, though the reference in the text was only reinserted at the last minute because of pressure from civil society.

Eloise Todd continues:

“The Netherlands, Luxembourg, Sweden and Denmark have already reached their aid targets and the UK is set to do so next year. These leaders on development in EU must become the champions of development assistance in the budget negotiations.

“Minister Mavroyiannis from the Cyprus Presidency will be taking forward negotiations on the budget at Ministerial level, and we’re confident Cyprus will fight the corner for the most vulnerable in the world. We need other countries to step up and do likewise.

“EU aid has helped 31 million people get clean drinking water, vaccinated 5 million children against measles and put 9 million kids in school in the last five years alone. Even in these difficult economic times leaders have a responsibility to protect these life-saving programmes.”

Notes to Editors:

1. The European Commission’s EU Accountability Report 2012 on Financing for Development. Review of Progress of the EU and its Member States, is available at: http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/12/758&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en.  
2. ONE’s DATA report is available to download at: www.one.org/data
3. ONE is a global grassroots advocacy and campaigning organisation backed by 3 million people that fights extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa. For more information, please visit www.ONE.org 
4. For further information please contact Katherine Sladden on +44 7584 470 644 or Katherine.sladden@one.org