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Germany 'blocks' Blair's Africa plan
Mark Townsend
Sunday May 22, 2005
The Observer
Tony Blair's plans to tackle poverty in Africa are being 'blocked' by Germany and Italy, with both countries refusing to increase aid packages ahead of the vital G8 talks, The Observer can reveal.
Around £15 billion extra aid - enough to lift half of the world's poorest people out of extreme poverty - is at risk this week because of the unwillingness of the two countries to back an ambitious upgrade in spending.
The news follows a remarkable response from the British public after The Observer joined the Make Poverty History campaign. Within hours of last week's edition appearing, more than 27,000 people had joined the crusade to tackle global inequality.
Double the number of supporters joined compared to previous weeks, with hundreds of thousands acquiring white wristbands as the largest mobilisation against world poverty gains momentum.
However, the disclosure that two of Britain's European allies in the G8 talks are resisting new European Union aid targets to be negotiated in Brussels tomorrow and Tuesday has dampened expectations of Blair securing his historic deal for Africa.
So far, the chief concern has centred upon US opposition to Blair's agenda, which is designed to alleviate Africa's crippling debt and double the continent's aid package.
Government officials are increasingly perturbed that if EU members of the G8 cannot present a united front it will undermine the Prime Minister's attempts to persuade President George Bush to assist Africa.
The intransigence of Germany and Italy during the run-up to the July summit of the eight most influential industrialised countries in Gleaneagles, Scotland, may mean a unique opportunity to help Africa is lost for ever, campaigners say.
Officials are aware that if Europe can deliver on an improved aid deal, Blair will command the political and moral authority to lobby other recalcitrant G8 countries along with the US, namely Canada and Japan.
The French President, Jacques Chirac, is firmly behind Blair's support for Africa, while the final member of the G8, the Russian Federation, is also believed to be supportive.
Sources involved in the run-up to this week's negotiations have admitted fears that Germany 'is blocking everything'. Although Italy might be climbing down from threats to also block a deal, it has said it 'would not deliver on the deal'.
The two 'rebel' countries are understood to have cited their domestic economic problems as an explanation for their position.
Anna Collins, EU policy adviser at Oxfam, said: 'If Germany and the others block the deal, hundreds of millions of poor women, children and men will pay the price. The EU faces a critical decision this week. A strong decision on aid increases is the key to success in the fight to make poverty history in 2005.'
On the table are new aid targets for 2010 that will increase the amount paid by member states from 0.33 per cent of gross national income to an average of 0.56 per cent, an increase that according to the European Commission would mean an increase of 20 billion on current levels.
Anti-poverty campaigners would prefer to see an increase to 0.7 per cent, a figure agreed by European countries in 1970 but still to be introduced.
A spokesman for the Department of International Development said Britain would be looking to 'lead the way' in securing significant EU aid increases this week.
