Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-02-14-Speech-3-405"
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"en.20070214.25.3-405"2
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"Mr President, I would like to congratulate Mr Gahler on a pithy and instructive report.
In my view, even European Union citizens in difficult circumstances wish to help those who are less fortunate still, but only on the condition that the money reaches people in genuine need. We should ensure that our aid does not give rise to rumour and innuendo. Following the tsunami, for example, it has been alleged that, instead of rebuilding damaged dwellings, canny entrepreneurs are evicting the population from the coastal strip on the pretext of safety measures and then using our funds to build commercial hotels for tourists. Let us hope that nothing of the kind has happened.
What should be supported? I would highlight two aims. Firstly, we should support education, including the creation of a civil society. That involves ongoing long-term investment, which is essential, although its results are not immediately obvious. No innovation or development is possible without it. Secondly, we should support local people’s economic initiatives, that is to say, small and medium-sized enterprises. This should be done through technical, commercial, legal and organisational aid. Potential beneficiaries should be informed by the local authorities of how much European Union aid has been made available and for what purposes. This information cannot be kept secret and revealed only to governments and banks. We need to carefully monitor this aid. All of us, especially the Commission, are responsible for both the appropriate use of funds and for the money wasted or seized by fraudsters, dictators, wealthy international corporations, sly intermediaries and sometimes even by certain European Union entities and representatives. It is incumbent on us to devise wise policies and take great care of the money contributed by wealthy donors. We must take even more care, however, of the far more precious ‘widow’s mite’ contributed by our poorer taxpayers.
Mr President, Commissioner, we cannot afford mistakes over the use of financial aid."@en1
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