DEVELOPMENT: Nielson Against Subordinating Aid to Foreign Policy

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Stefania Bianchi

BRUSSELS, May 21 2003 (IPS) - Poul Nielson, the EU Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Assistance, has attacked plans to subordinate humanitarian aid to the European Union’s Common Foreign and Security Policy.

The proposals made by the Convention for the Future of Europe go against the very principles of humanitarian law, Nielson told EU officials, governments, members of civil society groups and EU institutions.

Speaking at a meeting Tuesday, which examined the challenges facing EU humanitarian aid under a new EU constitution, he said: "I’m not going to pretend that I support this proposal and find it extremely strange that it could pop up out of the dark, particularly as there is supposed to be transparency in the work of the Convention."

"The EU humanitarian assistance is a system that works," he continued. "I’ve always been told if it isn’t broken then don’t fix it. All we need is a few screws to tighten it up."

EU development policy is currently being scrutinised by the Convention for the Future of Europe, a group of representatives from each of the EU’s 15 member states and 10 candidate countries, chaired by the former French President Valery Giscard d’Estaing.

They have proposed a number of reforms for the EU humanitarian aid policy. These include the suspension of a separate council for development cooperation, which would be incorporated into a new Common Foreign and Security Council (CFSP).

The plan envisages the appointment of a Minister of Foreign Affairs who will also be in-charge of EU development aid.

The draft text of the Treaty classifies development cooperation as an ‘instrument’ of EU ‘external action’. Civil society groups fear that this will compromise the nature and amount of aid given by the EU.

Nielson rejected that humanitarian aid should become part of crisis management or foreign policy saying that the work of ECHO, the EU’s humanitarian aid office, was not to resolve conflicts, but to provide help without any political strings or military advantages.

"The proposals go against the nature of humanitarian assistance and it could lead to a subordination of aid. The principals of humanitarian law are at stake here and it could mean that the EU may intervene in some crises but not others, depending on the political gains."

Although Nielson expressed his gratitude that humanitarian assistance has – for the first time – been given a specific role in the new EU Treaty, he condemned the Convention’s failure to include the concept of neutrality in the text.

Under the new proposals put forward by the Convention, military intervention in the deliverance of aid would be increased, but Nielson said that this would send out the wrong message to victims in crisis areas, as it would blur the boundaries between war and assistance.

Nielson welcomed the United Nation’s revision of the Oslo guidelines, which define the roles of humanitarian assistance and the role of the military in crisis situations, and said that the new guidelines will be launched by the UN and the EU on June 26.

His comments follow the launch of the ECHO annual review last week when Nielson highlighted the difficulty of access for aid workers.

Costanza Adinolfi, Director of ECHO, who hosted the meeting, echoed Nielson’s view. She noted that the concept of neutrality was fundamental to the work of NGOs.

"Neutrality is essential for humanitarian aid, but neutrality is difficult to sell to the Convention. They don’t appreciate it in the context of humanitarian aid, they see it as a wider debate, but this issue is on-going and we will lobby for it," she said.

Renzo Imbeni, Vice-President of the European Parliament insisted that a new CFSP is needed to help countries under dictatorship.

"The new CFSP should counteract the two evils in the world – terrorism and the lack of democracy. We could carry on as we have done, but if there is a dictatorship then we must accompany humanitarian aid with information to show that the aid is coming from a civil society. We should be political with aid, but we should be careful how we do it," he said.

The draft constitution is due to be presented by the Convention in June.

An intergovernmental conference, scheduled for the end of 2003 or beginning of 2004 will make a final decision on crucial issues such as the role of the EU institutions, the Charter of Fundamental Rights and the distribution of power in the EU.