In 2009, 140 developing countries benefited from the financial aids allocated by the European Commission to cooperation and humanitarian aids. Barroso’s Executive Committee adopted the 2010 Report on External Aids that, if we add up all entries, amount to about 12 billion euros, out of the EU’s total annual budget of 143 billion (9%).
In addition, new plans were adopted last year, such as the “Food Aid”, “Flex Vulnerability” (support to national budgets), “Fast Start” (climate change). Andris Piebalgs, Development Commissioner, explains: “The Commission acted quickly to face the problems resulting from the economic crisis in the most vulnerable countries”.
Piebalgs thinks the EU has upgraded its tools and its effectiveness. Financial aids – he adds – have been allocated to Eastern Europe, the “pre-accession” countries (Balkans), Africa (the largest amount), the Middle East, South-Eastern Asia, Latin America and Oceania. In 2009, the EU funds managed by the Commission were mainly allocated to “social infrastructure” (education, health, society….) accounting for 34% of such funds or 4 billion euros. Other funds were allocated to agriculture, transport and energy.