EUROPEAN AID POLICIES: SOUTH, EAST, BOTH OR NEITHER?

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe member states of the European Community contribute more than 45% of the total aid provided by all bilateral foreign aid donors. In addition, the EC foreign aid program is the second biggest budget item of this organization. However, there has been little coordination of the bilateral aid programs of the EC member states. To date, there is no common EC foreign aid policy. The geographic distribution of the aid sent by the EC member states has instead been defined by a mix of old colonial ties, economic interests and humanitarian values. The creation of the European Union, involving further foreign policy coordination among the EU member states, and the opening‐up of Eastern Europe after the fall of Communism have hardly changed this picture. While present aid from the EU and the EU member states as a whole shows a concentration on Africa, the Middle East, South Asia and Eastern Europe, this aid is not guided by any division of labour or common EU principles. Rather, it is determined by the foreign policy interests of each donor state. This situation is not likely to change in the future.