Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-04-06-Speech-4-028"
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"en.20060406.5.4-028"2
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".
Mr President, I wish to begin by congratulating my colleague Mr van den Berg on an excellent and valuable report. There is no doubt that overcoming corruption in the allocation of development aid is one of the main obstacles that we face in achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
While concern mounts over a deficiency in funding for MDGs, we must ensure that the aid is being provided to developing countries and is being allocated efficiently. With increasing levels of aid, there is growing concern that politicians and officials will misuse money intended for the world’s poor. As Mr van den Berg said, corruption is widespread, affecting every sector and bureaucracy.
We must remember, however, that it is by no means solely a problem for developing countries. There is a common argument that aid should not be channelled through government. However, we are increasing budget support and I am pleased to hear what the Commissioner has said about strengthening institutions to eliminate corruption through budget support and the reform of the public sector.
Massive restructuring of civil service and public financial management is necessary. Often these reforms are the sole responsibility of a few select civil servants. Civil servants in developing countries, who live on low, public sector wages, are struggling to keep their families out of poverty. They are subject to bribes and often have to moonlight in order to supplement their incomes. How can we expect people to implement the necessary reforms if they are not paid accordingly?
I suggest to the Commissioner that we recognise and acknowledge about 200 civil servants in each developing country as the key players in the decision-making process and include them in budget support. Why do we not follow Singapore’s example and give these civil servants extra supplementary incomes, comparable to our standards, so that they are not tempted to take bribes to keep their families in the style to which they have become accustomed?
We also need to deregulate. Regulation is the mother of corruption. The power of the paper impels people to get permissions, and permissions are sought and bought by corruption. If we deregulate as much as possible in the developing countries, we will have a chance to address this problem. After all, regulation was used as a colonial instrument: the power of the paper, as opposed to the soldier in the village, to enact the imperial master’s wishes. When independence came, these countries kept those controls in place. They did not deregulate the imperial controls and, because of that, corruption has become endemic because regulation has been piled on regulation. We need to get the national parliaments in developing countries empowered with thorough investigative capacities to look at corruption in those administrations.
We are on the right track. I congratulate Mr van den Berg on an excellent report and I am very pleased to hear what the Commissioner has said."@en1
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