Summary: February 20, 2002: Statement by Chris Patten, Commissioner for External Relations, at the Foreign Affairs and Development Committees of the European Parliament, Brussels. Reconstructing Afghanistan.
I would like to use this opportunity to share with this Committee a few personal observations following the pledging conference of 21-22 January in Tokyo.
The conference was a success the new Interim Administration and, in particular, the Chairman Hamid Karzai made a very good showing and confirmed their readiness to engage with the international community in a genuine partnership. Of course, we will monitor very closely their performance on every front, particularly with regard to the terms of the Bonn Agreement.
The Interim Administration received firm pledges for the year 2002 in the amount to 1.8 bn $, thus meeting the figures of the WB/UNDP/ADB needs assessment for the first year. With €600 m (out of which € 200 from the Commission and €400 from Member States) the EU was by far the biggest donor.
I was pleased that the EU lived up to its political promises to provide a significant long-term contribution to Afghan reconstruction. The combined EC/Member States pledge adds up to almost about 25% of overall needs for five-year period, and about 45% of pledges made so far(1).
This gives the EU a strong position not only both in donor co-ordination and policy debate, but also vis à vis other regions of the world who have yet to live up to expectations. In other words, the pressure on extra funding in the years to come should not be on the EU.
At the moment, the onus is on us and the international community at large to deliver: effectively, on time and in a well coordinated fashion. Let me confirm that from the start the Commission will put all its energies into assuring the best possible performance.
To this end, the Commission last week opened its Office in Kabul. This will be a fully deconcentrated office which, when completely operational, will be able to carry out many of the financial and administrative tasks which, up to now, have been Headquarters functions. The new deconcentrated systems should cut significantly the time taken to approve contracts, tenders and to make payments to NGOs, UN agencies.
The Commission is very much looking to build strong co-operative links with all of the actors in Afghanistan the Afghan Interim Authority, the UN, our Member States, other donors and the NGO community.
We strongly believe that it is only through such close co-operation that we will be able to get the Afghan administration up and working and capable of taking the leading role in the reconstruction process that we are all agreed it should have.
That is why the Commission in its first commitments of funds to the reconstruction process has made available € 22 million to pay for salaries for teachers, health workers, judges and police and civil servants in the relevant ministries areas where it is vital that the Afghan people can see that the international community is making quick and effective inputs.
It is important that the Interim Administration and its successor are able to deliver the reconstruction process outside of Kabul. For this to happen, there is a need for local leaders to accept leadership from Kabul and to buy into the process. Outside influences are currently encouraging the warlords for their own interests. This can only slow the rebuilding process and is not in the long-term interest of the Afghan people who, after more than 20 years of conflict, surely now have the right
to expect something better than rule by regional warlords.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the Parliament for its very constructive attitude towards looking ahead to the EC's intended contributions for the years 2003 2006. Reconstruction of Afghanistan requires a long-term commitment by all major donors. I therefore welcome the general understanding that the EC will maintain a comparable level of spending in the years ahead provided of course, that the Afghan Authorities adhere to the Bonn agreement and assuming a similar level of
commitment by Member states over this period.
(1) Pledges for the longer term (up to 2006) amounted to 4.5 bn $ in total (including 2002). If EU assistance level can be maintained that would mean a Euro 2.3 bn contribution from the EU as a whole and Euro 1 bn from the Commission, representing close to 25% of needs.
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