European Development Days
Most Europeans back development aid
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Just before the fourth series of European Development Days, the EU Commission released a special Eurobarometer survey showing that, despite the financial crisis, most Europeans still support development aid.
The special Eurobarometer survey “Development Aid in time of economic turmoil ” shows that about 90% of Europeans still believe that development is important.
The EU Commission press release notes that 72% of Europeans are in favour of honouring or increasing current development aid commitments. Denmark, Ireland, Finland, Spain, Cyprus, Malta, Poland, Portugal and Sweden are among the countries with most support for development aid (over 90%). Citizens of the Baltic States, Bulgaria and Austria show less support for this policy (under 80%).
“This poll clearly shows the fact that the citizens expect their governments and the EU Commission to strive in order to contribute with funds for development,” EU Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid Karel De Gucht stated. Mr De Gucht has asked EU member states to stick to their promises to increase development aid to 69 billion euros in 2010, to reach the amount proposed by the UN Millennium Development Goals – 8 targets for reducing global poverty, hunger and disease by 2015.
However, according to the Eurobarometer survey, 74% of Europeans have never even heard of Millennium Development Goals. Still this number is an improvement on the 80% recorded in 2007.
The Millennium Development Goals (MDG) were set at the UN Millennium Summit in September 2000, when 191 countries adopted the Millennium Declaration. The Millennium Declaration is a unique global development agenda agreed at the highest level by most of the world’s states. Some of the 8 precise targets to be reached until 2015 include: halving the number of people who earn less than $1 a day, ensuring universal access to primary education and making sure all who need it have access to treatment for HIV/AIDS.
The “Development aid in time of economic turmoil” survey gives a detailed view of attitudes across the whole European Union and shows that cooperation development leads to closer connections within EU.
For aid to be more effective we need greater coherence and consensus between the member states. EU surveys show that from 2004, the disparities between countries in this area decreased, especially between the countries that joined EU in 2004 and the other member states. The Eurobarometer results are important for the European Development Days, an event organized in Stockholm, Sweden, on 22-24 October 2009. The event aims to make development aid more efficient, to build a global coalition against poverty and to pursue the Millennium Development Goals.
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