Summary: 31 March 2009, The Hague - Speech by Benita Ferrero-Waldner, European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, at the International Conference on Afghanistan
I am grateful to the Netherlands (Maxime Verhagen) and the United Nations (Kai Eide) for convening this meeting and providing us the opportunity to look at a comprehensive strategy for Afghanistan in a regional context that Secretary of State Clinton has just outlined. Our strategic goal should be to ensure security and sustainable development in Afghanistan.
The European Commission has been very active since 2002 as a major donor, committing euro 1.6 billion mainly on three areas: governance, health, rural development and counter-narcotics. We are well on track to deliver our 700 million euros plan for 2007-2010. I certainly agree with the priorities set out in Kai's letter. Indeed they have also been the European Commission's priorities from the start.
Firstly, governance. The immediate priority is naturally to ensure that the upcoming presidential election brings the necessary legitimacy needed to the new government. The EU is ready to play a major role in preparing and observing the election. The European Commission will contribute to the funding of the election with 40 million euros (that is 50 million US dollars). Based on our long experience in electoral observation, we are ready to send an electoral observation mission, provided that
the adequate security is guaranteed by the international and Afghan security forces.
The priority is also to continue institution building and eradicate corruption. We will continue our support to the reform of the judiciary announced at our Rome conference two years ago.
Secondly, economic growth and governance. We have concentrated ourselves on rural development. Linked with the promotion of alternative livelihood to combat poppy production, we have had some successes. We will increase these efforts (with an additional 24 millions euros in 2009-2010).
Thirdly, the security sector. We need more and better Afghan police. The European Commission is already the single largest contributor to the Law and Order Trust Fund (LOTFA) and is ready to increase further its contribution. In our collective renewed efforts in this area, we need to ensure coherence and good coordination by the Government and UNAMA.
Finally the regional aspect is key, as underlined in December in the conference convened by France / Bernard Kouchner in La Celle Saint-Cloud. The regional dimension is probably part of the problem and certainly part of the solution and I am particularly glad to see that all neighbours of Afghanistan are represented today. In view of the Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan (RECCA), which Pakistan will be chairing, an expert meeting took place in Brussels two weeks ago.
Specific projects were highlighted such as the linking of electricity grids between Central and South Asia through Afghanistan. We are ready to support such ideas just as we support regional trade through our programme on border management in the North and East of Afghanistan. That said we must all work much harder on freeing up trade in this region. There are too many obstacles and political will from all parties is greatly needed to overcome them.
I stop here because I know that we will discuss our strategy for Pakistan in Tokyo on 17 April. For the longer run I look forward working within the contact group to combine our efforts.
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