CAIRO: In the midst of the biggest global downturn in 60 years, Europeans firmly bolstered their support for development aid according to a survey by the European Commission (EC). The poll indicated that around 90 percent of Europeans consider development aid a key priority, while 72 percent voted in favor of honoring or increasing existing aid commitments to the developing world. EU Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid Karel De Gucht called for EU member states to raise ?69 billion in aid by 2010, stating, "This poll clearly shows that citizens expect their governments and the EU Commission to dig deep for development financing. Last year, EU Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy (ENP) Benita Ferrero-Waldner signed an agreement outlining EU financial assistance to Egypt to the value of up to ?558 million for the period 2007-2010. This aid has been allocated towards process reform in Egypt, including trade, customs, agriculture, transport, energy and science. Other areas due to receive assistance include the sustainable development and management of human and natural resources, and the reform of democracy, human rights and justice. The Eurobarometer poll results were collated in time for the European Development Days (EDD), which concluded in Stockholm on Oct. 24, 2009. Development Aid and the wider economic crisis dominated much of the EDD discussion, with billionaire investor George Soros suggesting that wealthy European Nations should offer up to $100 billion in aid to poorer countries. When asked to identify the main difficulties faced by developing countries, 50 percent of Europeans cited poverty as the primary issue, above economic and food crisis (35 percent). These figures echo those of 2007, reflecting a pro-poor policy shift in the late 1990s. This most recent survey will contribute to a wider series of surveys aimed at exploring European awareness of development issues over the past five years. The Millennium Development Goals (MDG), established by the United Nations, set out its targets for addressing extreme global poverty. Despite a decade-long awareness campaign since its inception in 2000, only 5 percent of Europeans surveyed confessed to having knowledge of the content of the MDG. However, this is not thought to be due to a lack of interest as the poll also suggested Europeans are in favor of a greater understanding of the issues with 42 percent calling for increased media coverage on development. The effects of the financial crisis remain prevalent today across Europe, with unemployment reaching a five-year high as all member states report an increase on last years figures. Last month the EC issued a statement on the recession that said "while the recovery may surprise on the upside in the very short term, how sustainable it will be remains to be seen. Earlier this month, it released figures reporting that EU economic activity was worse than expected at the start of 2009, with GDP estimated to fall by 4 percent across the EU in 2009. Nine member states were issued with a warning by the EC on Oct. 7, 2009 for excessive budget deficits, namely Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Netherlands and Portugal.
