Commissioner Patten's Speech at the International Conference on Afghanistan (Berlin)

It gives me great pleasure to be here today, and I would like to thank our German hosts and co-chairs for making this important conference possible. I think it is critical that we have this opportunity to take stock of developments in Afghanistan as we approach the final milestone of the 2001 Bonn Agreement the free and fair election of a democratic Government.

There was enormous optimism at Bonn about what could be achieved in a relatively short period of time. And the Afghanistan we see today with the many achievements since Bonn - pays tribute to the determination of both the Afghan leadership and the international community to lay the foundations for a stable state and to rapidly improve the daily living conditions of the Afghan population. But, I think we all recognise that formidable challenges still lie ahead, especially as regards security and narcotics.

So our discussions today and tomorrow are critical to set out a path for the future. There are two key aspects to this. First we need a roadmap from the Afghan Government and here I strongly welcome the work-plan presented today. And second, we in the international community must reaffirm our long term commitment to Afghanistan.

Our ultimate aim must be the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals as set out in Securing Afghanistan's Future. But this will take time, and success will hinge on supporting the Afghan Government in their efforts to create a secure and drug free state. Priorities are also essential to maximise the impact of the substantial flow of funding to Afghanistan, and to reduce the unacceptably high levels of poverty still endured by much of the population.

There is much that the European Union is doing to help deliver these goals. For our part, the European Commission was one of the first donors to make a multi-year commitment to Afghanistan. At Tokyo, I promised about € 1 bn over five years ie. an annual average of 200 million. Today I am happy to report that we have delivered much more than this. In the two years of 2002 and 2003, the Commission committed a total of over € 580 million, including about € 130 million in Humanitarian support.

This assistance has helped to deliver health services, promote rapid rural growth, massively reduce travel times on the Kabul-Jalalabad road and to enable key public sector workers - including doctors, teachers and the police to return to work.

For the next three years, Commission support will continue at about € 200 million per year. In 2004, we hope to commit even more: € 203 million in reconstruction support and about € 42 million in humanitarian aid - giving a total of € 245 million. And I am pleased to say that over 50 percent has already been committed.

Taking the Commission and Member States together, total support from the European Union in 2004 is likely to reach about € 700 million about US $ 850 million. In addition, many Member States will today be making substantial new multi-year commitments. These huge sums underline the European Union's determination to support the reconstruction of Afghanistan over the long term.

But as I have already said - future success will depend on more than financial support. The escalating violence in 2003 and 2004 has claimed many lives and left large parts of the South and South East off limits for international aid staff. Without better security, reconstruction will stall, and the Afghan leadership will struggle to hold the open and credible elections that are so critical to the Bonn process.

So I welcome Member States' growing engagement in Provincial Reconstruction Teams as well as their continued support to ISAF. And I strongly hope that NATO will provide more troops.

We must also recognise the link between insecurity and opium poppy production. If we are to see real short-term gains in the fight against drugs, then I believe ISAF and coalition troops will need to be actively involved.

France, Germany, Italy and the UK are also playing a key role in helping the Afghan Government to build an efficient army, police force, and judicial system as well as to implement an effective anti-narcotics policy. The Commission is supporting these efforts by channelling € 177.5 million over 2003-2004 - to promote effective law enforcement, sustainable alternative livelihoods and rapid rural development and growth.

The success of all these efforts will depend on the Afghan Leadership being seen to deliver tangible improvements to the Afghan population. This means that all donors must work within the National Development Framework and that donors should strive to channel their assistance via the trust funds established to support the Government. Several Member States are exemplary in this respect, and I am pleased to confirm that the Commission will also continue to strongly support the trust funds as well the National programmes that are now in place.

I would like to finish by once again thanking the co-chairs for organising this important conference, and by underlining European Union's commitment to Afghanistan. By providing about € 700 million for 2004 alone, and making very substantial new multi-year pledges, it is clear that the European Union will continue to play a leading in role in ensuring Afghanistan receives the support it needs in both the short and longer term.

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• EUHR Solana's Speech at the International Conference on Afghanistan (Berlin) (31/3/2004)
• The European Union and Afghanistan (30/3/2004)