Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 February 2013
227. Deputy Derek Nolan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on whether the overseas aid budget will be protected in the forthcoming EU Budget; if he will lobby European leaders to ensure the protection of overseas development funding during budgetary negotiations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5910/13]
View answerNegotiations on the European Union’s Multiannual Financial Framework for 2014-2020, the MFF, have made substantial progress. At its meeting on 22-23 November 2012, the European Council gave a mandate to President Van Rompuy and President Barroso to pursue work on the MFF, with a view to reaching agreement at the beginning of 2013. President Van Rompuy now hopes to close negotiations at the meeting of the European Council on 7-8 February. The Irish Presidency will support President Van Rompuy in his efforts to secure a deal on the MFF.
The EU and its Member States are collectively the largest provider of development assistance in the world, providing over 55% of global ODA. This will remain the case under the next MFF. The strength of the development budget enables the EU to implement large scale projects and to respond effectively to humanitarian crises when they emerge. It also confers great legitimacy on the Union when it calls on all international donors, including new and emerging partners, to raise their level of ambition and to increase their ODA efforts to a level similar to the EU, thus contributing their fair share to the global development efforts.
In the course of the MFF negotiations, Ireland has sought to ensure that a fair proportion of the EU budget is allocated to development assistance. We have pointed out that this will allow the EU to continue playing a leadership role, to engage effectively when humanitarian crises emerge and to target extreme poverty and hunger. Given the financial constraints across the EU there has been pressure from Member States to seek reductions across every Heading of the MFF. Nevertheless, I am hopeful that development funding in the next MFF will be at a higher level than for the current 2007-2013 MFF.
