Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-10-23-Speech-3-296"
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"en.20021023.7.3-296"2
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".
Mr President, Mr Khanbhai sends his sincere apologies for not being here to present his report. Unforeseen circumstances have forced him to return to the UK this evening. I would like to stress that this is his report, and I thank him for his work and his willingness to cooperate with other parties. It is perhaps appropriate that Mr Khanbhai drew up this report, because he was born in Tanzania, where his family have lived for 170 years. He and I have travelled extensively in rural Africa and we share many views on the eradication of poverty in developing countries. It is therefore a pleasure to stand in for him today.
It is unacceptable that even today, more than one billion people are living on less than a dollar a day in rural areas of developing countries. They have no access to water, sanitation, electricity, health services or education. The poor are hungry, have no jobs, and fear disease. More than 40 years of international aid have not eliminated poverty. Many of these poor countries have huge debts, and their people are worse off than they were 25 years ago when Lomé assistance started. The EU is the largest donor in the world. Why have we not identified the country-specific problems, so that we can focus our aid on attacking the causes of poverty?
I have been travelling in the ACP countries for over 20 years. The major cause of poverty is the lack of investment in rural areas. We need to invest in helping the rural population to have a stake in their local economies. These people need infrastructure, technical skills for farming and animal husbandry, and vocational training to establish small businesses in the agro-processing, engineering, IT and service sectors. They need the kind of support provided by micro-finance schemes such as the Gramine Bank in Bangladesh, and I strongly support Mr Khanbhai in this matter. A 'bottom-up' approach is the only way to regenerate rural areas.
Asian countries like China, India and Bangladesh were food-deficient and net importers 20 years ago. Subsidies to farmers, selecting appropriate seed, irrigation, micro-finance for small farmers, establishing food cooperatives and other rural investments transformed the agricultures of these countries. Today, they grow enough food for their huge populations and have surplus for exports. There must be a lesson here.
The EU and the US offer substantial subsidies to their farmers. Without such subsidies, there would be no economic prosperity in countries like Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Italy and France, which have all benefited from European subsidies. Without investment in Europe's rural infrastructure, the EU would not function as it does today. Sadly, international aid for rural areas in sub-Saharan countries has dropped from EUR 14 billion in 1988 to EUR 8 billion in 1998. This has resulted in a sharp decline in food production. It has been aggravated by natural disasters, both drought and floods. A decade of famine and malnutrition has precipitated disease, fear, social tension and civil war in many poor countries.
The EU needs to encourage land reform, the efficient and fair utilisation of water resources and the transfer of technology for the rural populations of poor countries. We need to teach them to grow their own food, create their own employment and sustain their own economies. The poor do not wish to beg for life; they value their self-respect and dignity in the same way as we do. They do not want our fish. They need to learn how to fish and feed themselves. I agree with Mr Khanbhai that this is the spirit within which the EU should reassess its policy on aid.
Agriculture, agrarian reform and rural economic development should be top priority areas for EU assistance. This will help production, employment and the sustainable management of natural resources in developing countries, enabling the poor to be self-reliant and break their dependence on our aid. I hope that the House will accept this report. Mr Khanbhai has agreed to over 75 per cent of the amendments that have been tabled."@en1
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