Summary: June 9, 2005: EU-UN News: Bono, European Commission President Barroso Make Appeal for Africa and Doubling of EU Development Aid (Brussels)
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European Commission President José Manuel Barroso met with Bono today, lead singer for U2 and a key campaigner on Africa, at the European Commission's Headquarters, in Brussels, sharing a common aim: to appeal to EU leaders at the summit in Brussels next week to put their full political weight behind ambitious new EU development aid targets, which would double development aid in a decade (by 2015), and
focus on Africa.
The EU Development ministers reached agreement in April to accelerate progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals, a crucial element both of the build-up to the G8 summit in Scotland in July, which President Barroso will attend, and the review of the UN's Millennium Development Goals in September.
Commented President Barroso: "There is one clear purpose behind this meeting today, to send out the strongest possible signal about the level of ambition Europe wants for Africa in 2005. In seven days time, EU leaders from 25 countries will gather in Brussels for a critical summit meeting. With decisions on the European constitution and future budget on the table, there is a risk that important decisions on EU aid fall away from the public eye. My determination is clear: not let the issue of
Africa fall back in the political landscape."
According to President Barroso, the gap between the world's rich and poor has never been wider. 25,000 people die of hunger in the world every day. In sub-Saharan Africa, nurses and teachers are dying from AIDS faster than they can be trained. Life expectancy has collapsed to near medieval levels. "If we are to make 2005 a unique opportunity for change, then there is an urgent need for a strong European
response," he said.
Bono's message to EU leaders was clear: "Don't blow it. This kind of momentum doesn't come every year."
"Put down your national flags, look up from the numbers and look to the future," he added.
Already, the EU is the largest aid donor in the world, contributing 55% of global aid, as well as the biggest provider of trade-related aid, worth around €750 million a year. It also gives trade and quota-free access to its markets for all products from the Least Developed Countries, apart from arms. "But Europe can and must do more, urgently," declared Barroso.
To view or listen to Bono's and President Barroso's full press conference, please visit http://europa.eu.int/comm/ebs/schedule.cfm.
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