Czech Republic to step up humanitarian aid donations after EU accession
While the Czech Republic is hoping to benefit financially from membership of the European Union, accession will also mean the Czechs will have to pull their weight when it comes to donating aid to the developing world. The EU's commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid Poul Nielson has just been in Prague to explain what exactly EU membership will entail in this respect.
"For the Czech Republic I think it is a fine step that the government has put on the table a paper that shows the planning and the financial planning also of how to get moving in the right direction. And in this sense your country is in fact ahead of most other candidate countries."
According to Commissioner Nielson the European Union accounts for more than 50 percent of all development assistance in the world, and plans to increase this figure further. This means that those member states whose contribution is now below the EU average will need to step up their donations. Will there be any implications for the current candidate states?
"Because of this decision to have the low-performing member states increase their contribution this will also be a part of what new member states will have to face but this is not what I would call a hardcore part of the acquis and this is something we will have to discuss down the line."
After accession the level of contribution of new member states will be defined by their share of the total community budget. So far it is clear that the Czech Republic and other new members will not be asked to contribute to the European Development Fund which finances development cooperation work with Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific island states until 2007.
