Beyond our frontiers

Even in times of crisis “Europe must look ahead and maintain its commitments in the world”. Besides “our security and prosperity also depend on what happens beyond our frontiers”, says Catherine Ashton, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. In recent days she outlined the proposals made by the Commission in the field of external policy for the period 2014-2020, in relation to the definition of the future multiannual financial framework.Promoting peace and democracy. The executive maintains the need for a series of budgetary allocations with the aim of helping the EU to “fulfil its own responsibilities on the world stage”, including the objectives of “fighting poverty and promoting democracy, peace, stability and prosperity”. In particular “the range of planned instruments will help to support the developing countries, the European neighbourhood states and those preparing for EU membership”, such as the western Balkans. The total allocation to foreign policy in the seven years of the period in question amounts to some 96 billion euro. Thanks to these financial instruments, the EU will be able, according to Ashton, to “promote in a more efficient way its core interests and values, such as human rights, democracy and the rule of law”. The Commission’s proposals now pass to the scrutiny of the EU Council and Parliament, which should take the necessary decisions by the end of 2012.Diplomacy and solidarity. The external policy of the Union requires in the first place a new “external action service” (in effect the EU diplomatic service, with embassies all over the world). This is now in a phase of organization. But this policy is complex and has various aspects, as explained by Andris Piebalgs, Commissioner for Development: “The European Union is the prime aid donor in the world and we must continue to lead the fight against poverty”. After citing several times the term “solidarity” – not very frequent in the speeches of politicians in this phase -, Piebalgs adds: “The Executive’s proposals will enable the EU budget to meet, in a measure similar to its contribution in the past, its pledge to allocate 0.7% of Community GDP to aid by 2015”. And he explains. “It’s a fact that ensuring a more inclusive and sustainable growth in the world is also in the interest” of EU citizens and states. “So let us turn over a fresh page in our relations with emerging countries and pledge to concentrate aid in favour of the poorest ones”. Enlargement. EU external policy also focuses on so-called neighbourhood policy, i.e. the policy addressed to countries bordering on the EU or present in the Mediterranean area and in Eastern Europe. With regard to the new European neighbourhood and pre-membership assistance instruments (which both form part of the package of measures suggested by the Commission to the 27 member states and the European Parliament), Stefan Füle, Commissioner for Enlargement, declares: “These new instruments will permit us to respond even more effectively to the future needs and ambitions of our partners. Thanks to the new European neighbourhood and pre-membership assistance instruments, support to our neighbours will be more rapid and flexible; it will be possible to implement a greater differentiation and offer more incentives to those that obtain better results”. The European support will continue “to ensure the success of the process of democratization, improve socio-economic development in the neighbourhood countries and support the process of reform in the countries” that are preparing to enter the “common home”.“Differentiation”. The budget proposals will support the Commission’s new approach aimed at concentrating aid in less, but more “strategic”, sectors, i.e. those that support democracy, human rights and “stimulate inclusive and sustainable growth”. Applying the new principle of “differentiation”, the EU – according to Ashton – will allocate “a more substantial volume of funds where it considers its aid can produce better results: in the more needy regions and countries, including fragile states”. “Countries able to generate sufficient resources to ensure their development will no longer receive bilateral subventions but benefit from new forms of partnership and continue to receive funds through thematic and regional programmes”. The 96 billion that the Commission proposes to destine to external policy in the seven years that will begin from 2014 ought to be allocated, obviously with different figures, to various financial instruments covering the following fields: pre-membership assistance (14 billion euro), neighbourhood (18 billion), cooperation in development (23), partnership (1.3), stability (2.8), democracy and human rights (1.6), cooperation in the sphere of nuclear security (631 million), and funds for Greenland (219 million). To these funds should also be added the European Development Fund, equivalent to 34 billion euro.