Thursday

28th Mar 2024

UK charity slams Brussels for slow aid distribution

The European Commission is the worst performer among development aid donors examined in a report by Save the Children, a UK-based charity.

The EU was disbursing only 17 per cent of its commitments in 2002, rising to 28 per cent in 2003 and 76 per cent the following year, the report revealed according to the FT.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Get the EU news that really matters

Instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

  • The commission is the world's second largest development aid donor (Photo: Notat)

The commission is the world's second largest donor, giving €7.4 billion in aid in 2004.

The Scandinavian countries were among the best donors in terms of disbursing aid and often paid more out than they pledged, while Japan, Korea and the commission were among the worst.

The commission refused to comment on the report, which it had not seen.

Meanwhile the commission on Monday (10 July) called for a change of UK tax reliefs for gifts to charities.

London allows tax relief for gifts to charities, but only if they are established in the UK.

"The rules of the internal market forbid discrimination of charities in other member states," said EU taxation commissioner Laszlo Kovacs.

"Gifts to bona fide charities in other member states should get the same tax treatment as gifts made to domestic charities."

In a final warning, London was given two months to reply before the case will be referred to the European Court of Justice.

'Swiftly dial back' interest rates, ECB told

Italian central banker Piero Cipollone in his first monetary policy speech since joining the ECB's board in November, said that the bank should be ready to "swiftly dial back our restrictive monetary policy stance."

Opinion

EU Modernisation Fund: an open door for fossil gas in Romania

Among the largest sources of financing for energy transition of central and eastern European countries, the €60bn Modernisation Fund remains far from the public eye. And perhaps that's one reason it is often used for financing fossil gas projects.

Latest News

  1. Kenyan traders react angrily to proposed EU clothes ban
  2. Lawyer suing Frontex takes aim at 'antagonistic' judges
  3. Orban's Fidesz faces low-polling jitters ahead of EU election
  4. German bank freezes account of Jewish peace group
  5. EU Modernisation Fund: an open door for fossil gas in Romania
  6. 'Swiftly dial back' interest rates, ECB told
  7. Moscow's terror attack, security and Gaza
  8. Why UK-EU defence and security deal may be difficult

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersJoin the Nordic Food Systems Takeover at COP28
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersHow women and men are affected differently by climate policy
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersArtist Jessie Kleemann at Nordic pavilion during UN climate summit COP28
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersCOP28: Gathering Nordic and global experts to put food and health on the agenda
  5. Friedrich Naumann FoundationPoems of Liberty – Call for Submission “Human Rights in Inhume War”: 250€ honorary fee for selected poems
  6. World BankWorld Bank report: How to create a future where the rewards of technology benefit all levels of society?

Join EUobserver

EU news that matters

Join us