In October 1994 democracy returned to Haiti after three years of dictatorship. In 1996 the Commission stepped up this support with an allocation of ECU 148m to Haiti for the coming Eighth European Development Fund. This level of support is making the Commission the largest donor to Haiti. Life for most people in Haiti is desperately hard.
Action is urgent to address the terrible poverty, nutrition, health and sanitation conditions.
But it is also essential for Haiti to use the funds that are now available to make its own economy work, encourage investment and entrench democracy. This means agricultural production, education, roads, electricity, telecommunications. It also means justice reform and efficient administration. Below we summarise the contributions the Commission has made since October 1994 to support these goals. In addition, the rehabilitation budget line and programme have provided ECU 7m for health and water supply, while 'Food Security' has provided ECU 12m of food aid.