Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-12-16-Speech-3-152"
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"en.20091216.14.3-152"2
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"Let me start with Afghanistan. We are at an important point in our relations here. Our future support must help build a government that is responsive to the needs and the concerns of the Afghan people. As the situation is volatile, we need to both work with, and to influence, the situation on the ground. That is what the international conferences, which begin with a conference in London next month, are all about.
Turning to Pakistan, our overriding concern and interest is that Pakistan should be a stable democracy free from terror and able to join with its neighbours in defence against common threats.
The action plan underlines this and builds on existing commitments made at the June EU-Pakistan Summit, including humanitarian aid, reconstruction support, assistance to the police and judiciary and strengthening democratic institutions and civil society to improve human rights, as well as agreements on trade and socio-economic development. We will continue to support the implementation of the recommendations of the 2008 election observation mission.
The action plan is backed up by a substantial financial resource of just under EUR 500 million from the Commission until 2013, plus a EUR 100 million renewable energy loan from the European Investment Bank, as well as commitments to deepen our trade and political relations. The action plan also specifies intensified dialogue on all these issues and there should be a second summit next year within the Spanish Presidency.
The action plan also makes clear that the European Union will use its expertise in regional integration to help Afghanistan, Pakistan and their neighbours to kick-start economic relations, particularly with India. There will be no overnight solution to current tensions but we must make a start to overcoming distrust. The potential gains from this kind of regional cooperation in terms of trade and investment would dwarf anything we can do as the European Union.
In conclusion, implementation of the plan for Afghanistan and Pakistan is central to our future engagement in these countries. It is a joint endeavour between Member States and the EU institutions and it is the first of its kind, which, if successful, can help shape the international civilian response to crises that have so far largely been defined in military terms.
The action plan amounts to a major commitment not only to Afghanistan and Pakistan, but to south and central Asia as a whole. But we need more than ideas to deliver: we need the right people and the right skills, and they need security in order to work. There must be stronger political engagement by the host governments, and stronger coherence among donors, including internally among Member States.
South Asia faces extremism every day, whether on the battlefield in Helmand or on the streets of Peshawar, Lahore and Rawalpindi. We will not tackle this through military action alone but by helping build a secure and safe environment free from the tensions and inequalities that feed extremism.
Europe has much to offer from our own experience. The action plan provides us with the opportunity to use this experience to help others, and I hope Parliament will support it.
We are ready to put in more resources. The Commission is raising its development assistance by one third to EUR 200 million. We need these extra resources to repeat the successes, like the extension of the primary health care system to 80% of Afghans – including far better treatment for women and girls – and recent success in turning provinces poppy free. Our Member States have also committed to help get our police training programme up to strength.
But that is all just the start. We need to deliver this as part of a coherent EU contribution within a coordinated international response. This response must have the Afghans working with the UN at the centre of it.
The action plan agreed by the Council in October gives us the opportunity to do this. Together with the US efforts and NATO security operations, it sends a strong message to the region and international community about our commitment. It also, of course, dovetails the priorities set out by President Karzai, particularly in the fields of improved governance and anti-corruption.
The plan confirms that we will continue to place key sectors such as the rule of law and agriculture at the centre of our engagement.
We are already assisting the government to improve the skills of administrators in Kabul. We will now start to roll these skills out across the provinces to help the Afghan people manage their own affairs and ensure the government provides – and is seen to provide – services to them.
The plan sends a message that we will support the integration of insurgents who are ready to respond to President Karzai’s call to work with his government.
The European Electoral Observation Mission also presents its report in Kabul today and I would like to pay tribute to Mr Berman and his team for a job well done in extremely difficult circumstances. We will ensure follow up, since it is clear the credibility of the government and the political system rests upon a major overhaul of the electoral system.
Finally on Afghanistan, but perhaps most importantly, we are streamlining our structures on the ground. Member States will align policies with the resources to back them, and I hope to merge the EU Special Representative and the Head of the EU Delegation into a single post as soon as possible. That will help us to build a coherent approach that can serve as a model for elsewhere."@en1
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