EU: hulp aan Pakistan zal afhangen van democratische hervormigen (en)
EUOBSERVER i / BRUSSELS - EU i aid commissioner Kristalina Georgieva i has said that long-term relief measures for Pakistan will be dependent on its improvement of democratic and human rights standards.
Speaking to press in Islamabad on Wednesday (25 August) after touring flood-affected areas in the north of the country, Ms Georgieva noted that EU foreign ministers will on 10 September discuss the possibility of including Pakistan in the EU's generalised system of preferences (GSP) on trade, potentially lowering import tariffs for products such as textiles to help its economy recover.
But she said the EU will not relax the good governance criteria normally applied for GSP qualification, despite the scale of the disaster.
"We want to be sure this is a fair exchange among equals, of give and take - we open up more access and we see that means in Pakistan not only an increase in productivity but improvement in conditions for workers, in the overall democratic environment here, so it's not only more productive, it is also a more open and inclusive society," she explained.
"It is a tremendous crisis but but it is also an opportunity for Pakistan to look at the whole set of issues it is dealing with."
The European Commission and 11 EU countries have so far pledged €220 million for emergency aid, with another seven member states also sending materials such as water sanitation kits and tents.
Ms Georgieva said a top priority is to get people in the north to start planting crops as waters recede in order to prevent a food crisis in 2011.
She quashed reports that Pakistani militant organisations are hindering the international effort, saying: "I haven't gotten any feedback from our partners, such as NGOs that there is a growing problem with the disaster being used for the purposes of breeding extremism. In my conversations, I haven't seen any evidence that that is taking place."
She admitted that support from Nato, which is currently waging war against militant groups in neighbouring Afghanistan and in Pakistani border regions, is politically "sensitive," however, and promised that any Nato involvement will not be exploited to make military gains.
"Military assets should only be used as a last resort, because military assets ... may create some sensitivities among the affected population. In this particular case, the [Nato] air-lift is strictly being used to deliver goods to these [flood-hit] areas of Pakistan."
The commissioner added that the EU's long-term Pakistan plans will look at how to insulate the country from climate change related disasters, including via water resource management and building dams.
Sitting alongside Ms Georgieva at the press event in Islamabad's Marriott hotel on Wednesday, the EU's Dutch ambassador to Pakistan, Jan De Cock, pointed out that the Union at a World Bank donor's conference in Tokyo in 2009 pledged almost €500 million for Pakistan's long term development.
About €230 million of the money has been contracted so far, including a €30 million tranche to boost Pakistan's "civilian law-enforcement capacity."