WRITTEN QUESTION E-3368/02

by Olivier Dupuis (NI) to the Commission

(27 November 2002)

Subject: Nature of the aid granted to Laos

The European Commission recently granted EUR 730 000 in humanitarian aid to the Lao People's Democratic Republic in order to help displaced vulnerable people and possible victims of resettlement policies (improvements to water and sanitation systems, the construction of an access road and the distribution of hygiene kits and education in mine-awareness) with the underlying aim of boosting ethnic minorities access to a sustainable livelihood as an alternative to resettlement'.

Does the Commission not feel that these projects bear all the hallmarks of cooperation projects, and that by granting assistance in the form of humanitarian aid all it is doing is quietly fuelling the parasitism (and antidemocratic tendencies) of the Laotian governing classes? Is it aware that the failure of the economic reforms tentatively launched by the Laotian authorities in the late 1980s, which was largely due to the absence of any political reform, has resulted in these authorities pursuing what can only be described as a policy of international begging? Does it realise that the (blind) generosity shown by the European Union and several of its Member States in response to this policy is simply exacerbating the difficulties experienced by the peoples of Laos and making the prospect of that country's democratisation more distant?

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(20 January 2003)

Under Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/96 of 20 June 1996 concerning humanitarian aid(1), the Commission grants aid to people in distress who have a right to international humanitarian assistance where their own authorities prove unable to provide effective relief. This applies to the beneficiaries of the projects financed under Decision ECHO/LAO/210/2002/02000.

The projects concerned are directly implemented by the partner NGOs of the Humanitarian Office (ECHO) and by UN agencies and cannot therefore in any way be considered financial assistance to the Laotian government. The operations are intended to improve the harsh living conditions of the most vulnerable sections of the country's population, in particular ethnic minorities who are often the victims of forced resettlement.

For some beneficiaries the projects mean drinking water supplies and improved sanitary conditions, for others access to primary health care services, education and greater food security. A local public information campaign on Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) is being conducted as part of a food security project.

The Commission's decisions on humanitarian aid are taken impartially and regard solely the needs and interests of the victims. The presence of relief workers in Laos is, moreover, a positive and moderating factor in negotiations between local authorities and the public.

On the matter of the attitude of the Laotian government to international assistance, the Commission takes care to ensure that the aid it provides in the context of development cooperation is effective in combating poverty without removing the onus from the State. With that in mind the Commission has carried out an evaluation of economic and political developments in Laos and of the nature of Community aid to the country. The results and recommendations of the evaluation are included in the Country Strategy Paper on Laos, adopted in 2002.

It should be noted that Laos is the poorest country of South-East Asia, with a GDP per capita of only USD 350 and 30 % of the population living on less than one dollar a day. The development programmes run by the Commission and the Member States accordingly

focus on the most vulnerable sectors of the population. The main focal areas are rural development, health and basic education, with special attention paid to human rights and good governance initiatives.

The Commission maintains a consistent policy of constructive political dialogue with the Laotian Government as well as continuously assisting the people of the country through the Community's development aid programmes, designed to bolster and speed up the process of national democratisation, and humanitarian aid programmes which, in accordance with international humanitarian principles, provide relief to the most vulnerable sections of the population, the victims of forcible resettlement.

(1) OJ L 163, 2.7.1996.