Sir,
Simon Maxwell makes an important point when urging the EU to look at the big picture on external aid instead of getting lost in the nuts and bolts of EU budget negotiations. Europe needs better leadership, better delivery mechanisms and better policies – and not just in the field of development aid. Whether the EU is trying to increase economic competitiveness or shape the new world order, no member state – no matter how large and powerful – can act alone. They must unite and turn the Union into a genuinely soft power capable of influencing global events.
Europe played a substantial role in the economic and financial crises of 2008/9. But the eurozone crisis is demonstrating its weakness in dealing with structural problems. The euro’s difficulties may have appeared at the “periphery” first, but from the outset they signalled Europe’s lack of cohesion and the absence of a genuinely single market.
These problems have a bearing on the future of EU development aid. By failing to secure work and other basic necessities for a growing number of people, the single market is making the entire European project less popular. The EU is increasingly seen as part of the problem rather than the solution to our economic hardships. So, it is becoming harder to persuade voters of the merits of spending more on external aid.
The next EU budget negotiations may prove that the Union is ready and able to handle the practical consequences of the shifts in global relations that are unfolding before our eyes. Or they may not. Short-term pressures seem to be increasing the reluctance of member states – and their national elites – to consider long-term solutions or to champion complex issues such as overseas development aid. This “rational” risk-avoidance is often coupled with a tough defence of national interests at the negotiating table – even though such a combination can make a bad situation even worse.
Serving the real interests of Europe’s people certainly will demand hard-headed and pragmatic decisions. But these decisions have to be based on a collective political vision, accompanied by coherent strategies and mastery of the tricky business of policy implementation. Otherwise, the temptation to meet short-term, popular goals will continue to win at the expense of Europe’s common and global ambitions.