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News Releases
No. 05/07
January 26, 2007
EU-AFGHANISTAN TROIKA: COMMISSIONER FERRERO-WALDNER TO PRESENT PACKAGE WORTH OVER €600 MILLION
European Commissioner for
External Relations,
Benita
Ferrero-Waldner, will attend the
EU-Afghanistan
Ministerial Troika meeting in Berlin on January 29. She
will take the opportunity to present her plans for the
next four years, with proposals for a
package worth €600
million for Afghanistan for 2007-2010, with a focus on
three key priority areas: reform of the justice sector,
rural development including alternatives to poppy
production and health. The European Commission remains
one of the top donors in Afghanistan and one of the very
few giving a multi-year commitment.
 "The EU is keeping its promises to Afghanistan," said
Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner on the eve of the
ministerial meeting. "The €1 billion pledge we made
after the fall of the Taliban has been honored, and with
this new package we are demonstrating our continuing
commitment to help Afghanistan build a more secure and
prosperous future."
"Afghanistan's problems cannot be solved without
stronger governance and respect for the rule of law,"
she added. "The key challenges are to extend the
Government's authority into the provinces, and to stamp
out narcotics production which destabilizes the country
politically and economically. That is why our new
package will put a special focus on strengthening public
administration and in particular on reform of the
justice sector. Boosting the professionalism of the key
legal institutions will complement the EU's work with
the Afghan police – helping to improve law enforcement
at all levels."
The EU-Afghanistan Troika agenda includes implementation
of the
Afghanistan Compact, the EU contribution to
improving law and order in the country,
counter-narcotics and regional developments including
Afghan-Pakistan relations.
Rule of Law
As the largest donor to the Law and Order Trust Fund for
Afghanistan (€135 million since 2002), the Commission
has already made a major contribution to supporting the
salaries and training needs of the Afghan police, and
this work will continue under the new package.
The Commission now intends to launch a new program of
support to the justice sector. Over the next few months,
the Commission will place experts in key justice
institutions (Ministry of Justice, Supreme Court and the
Attorney General's office) to draw up a major program of
reforms in the judiciary and legal services in
Afghanistan. The aim will be to improve the
qualifications, recruitment and career structure for
judges and prosecutors and to introduce a code of
ethics.
Commission initiatives in this field complement the ESDP
[European Security & Defense Policy]
mission on policing, which is currently under
consideration by EU Member States.
In addition to these activities in the justice sector,
the Commission's new package will also support capacity-building in local and regional administration, with a
view to increasing the focus on the rule of law in the
provinces.
Rural Development
Law enforcement alone cannot solve the problem of poppy
production. The Commission supports rural development
programs in the northeast and east of Afghanistan,
aiming to reduce poppy dependence through alternative
livelihoods. Despite overall increases in opium
cultivation in 2006, there were encouraging signs of
sustained reductions in areas where the Commission has
been active, for example in Nangarhar, once one of the
main poppy-rich provinces. The Commission will continue
its work in these provinces to ensure there is no return
to poppy there.
Health
The European Commission is one of the three key donors
to the health sector (with the World Bank and the US).
The new package will continue to focus on provision of
primary health services in Afghanistan. The aim is to
help lift the coverage of basic health services from
around 75% at present to near 100% by the end of 2010.
Health clinics will be built or repaired and medical
staff trained. To date, Commission funds have built over
two hundred clinics.
For further information, please visit:
http://www.eurunion.org/partner/euusterror/EUandAfghanistan.htm
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Further Contact Information
Press and Public Diplomacy
Delegation of the European Commission
2300 M Street, NW
Washington, DC 20037
http://www.eurunion.org/PressRoom
Tel: 202-862-9552
Fax: 202-429-1766
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