Europe entering age of ‘aid austerity’

According to the OECD, major donors’ aid to developing countries fell by nearly 3% in 2011, breaking a long trend of annual increases. Disregarding years of exceptional debt relief, this was the first drop since 1997. Continuing tight budgets in OECD countries will put pressure on aid levels in coming years.

The EUObserver feature highlights the development aid provided by EU Member States highlighting big reductions from Greece, Spain, Austria and Belgium.

• Primary Source

OECD: Press Release, 4.4.12: Development: Aid to developing countries falls because of global recession http://www.oecd.org/document/3/0,3746,en_21571361_44315115_50058883_1_1_1_1,00.html

OECD: Development Co-operation Directorate: Understanding development finance http://www.oecd.org/dac/understandingdevelopmentfinance.htm

European Commission: EuropeAid Development and Cooperation http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/index_en.htm

European Commission, Press Release, IP/12/348, "In times of crisis, the EU must not forget the poorest in the world", says Commissioner Piebalgs. EU confirms its position as the world's largest aid donor in 2011 http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/12/348&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

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