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Column Eyes on Ireland to defend the EU aid budget

Bill Gates was right to highlight global poverty with Enda Kenny during his recent visit to Dublin – because Ireland is the country charged with brokering an agreement on overseas aid, writes Hans Zomer.

IT’S WORTH CONSIDERING for a moment why Bill Gates came to visit Ireland en route to a meeting of the World Economic Forum in Switzerland last month. He didn’t come to talk to Enda Kenny about computers. He came here to talk to the Government about addressing global poverty.

That’s important because, as an influential figure who heads up one of the world’s biggest philanthropic development funds, he recognised Ireland’s strong international reputation in helping poor and marginalised people around the world. And he came to encourage Ireland to stay the course and continue to build our own prosperity by investing in peace and development.

Gates’ message was also one of disquiet. In particular, he expressed concern about the direction the EU aid budget is going. As a fan of EU overseas aid himself, Bill Gates highlighted one of the key asks of Irish development NGOs: defend Europe’s overseas aid budget.

EU budget

This week, European leaders will meet in Brussels to reach a deal on the bloc’s €1 trillion budget for the next seven years. About three-quarters of EU spending currently goes on farm subsidies, infrastructure and other projects in Europe’s poorer regions, and the remainder is spent on areas such as research, overseas aid and education.

A first round of talks among EU leaders ended in deadlock last November because they could not agree on where cuts to the budget should be made. EU Council President Herman van Rompuy answered this with a new proposal to reduce the overall budget by €80 billion.

But the cuts were not made evenly. The EU’s overall budget for foreign action – originally €70 billion – is set to be cut by 13 per cent, and a separate budget for overseas development may be cut by 11 per cent. These cuts are disproportionate when compared to the modest cuts of around 4 per cent to areas such as farm subsidies and regional development.

EU leaders seem intent on reducing the EU’s investment in global stability, human rights and overseas aid as some countries jockey to ‘bring something back’ for their domestic voters.

Ireland’s opportunity

Irish development NGOs do not want to see the aid budget used as a bargaining chip in these negotiations. And neither does the Irish Government, who has said that tackling global poverty and climate change will be a key theme for Ireland’s EU Presidency.

The ‘Global Europe’ budget is about building the EU’s influence in the world and using that in part to promote greater levels of global peace and stability, as the EU so successfully achieved after World War II. As part of this, the EU provides overseas aid to address extreme instances of poverty and inequality that drive many of the factors that would otherwise lead to global instability. It also funds major infrastructural projects like roads, and invests in social services.

As the world’s largest overseas aid donor – €11.5 billion in 2011 – the EU has been a powerful force for positive change, and study after study has demonstrated how effective EU aid is. For example, 24 million people are no longer hungry, and EU aid has given nine million children a primary education.

This has not gone unnoticed: opinion polls across all EU member states show consistent and high levels of public support for EU aid – 85 per cent of citizens recently polled think the EU should spend more. Remarkably, these levels of support are found even in countries severely hit by the recession such as Spain and Ireland, where support has in fact risen.

Aid = increased global trade

So, does it make sense to see the EU aid budget as a luxury to be spent only in the good times? Or should we, rather, consider aid as part of a wider EU strategy to create prosperity and jobs in Europe by creating better conditions around the world?

A recent analysis found that the EU’s aid budget would actually pay for itself over the next seven years due to the positive effects it would have on the global economy. By sowing the seeds of peace, stability and growth in poorer regions of the world, we, too, would benefit from increased trade, which in turn generates jobs.

Bill Gates was right to highlight the importance of the EU budget as well as the fact that there is very little public debate about these negotiations. And particularly in Ireland, the country charged with brokering agreement on the priorities, there should be a great deal more awareness of the issues at stake.

When the EU’s finance ministers meet this week, they should remember that global challenges such as the recession and climate change need to be tackled together. We hope, in their negotiations, they will show solidarity with those facing the worst effects of poverty and marginalisation and defend the EU’s overseas aid budget.

Hans Zomer is Director of Dóchas, the Irish Association of Development NGOs, which represents 49 agencies working in the area of humanitarian and development aid. Visit www.worldwewant.ie to read more about the Irish EU Presidency and global development.

Read: Here’s how Ireland distributed €159m among nine countries last year>

Column: Aaron McKenna: Should we turn off the tap of Irish aid to other countries?>

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    Mute Fred Jensen
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    May 7th 2017, 8:10 PM

    Should have been put underground. Hopefully this will be the last large overground project in the city centre, and Metro North and other projects will all be put underground.

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    Mute Dub_Right
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    May 7th 2017, 8:44 PM

    @Fred Jensen: Would rather have Dart underground from Westland row to Heuston, with a link up to the cross town Luas lines..

    53
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    Mute Brinster
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    May 7th 2017, 9:37 PM

    @Fred Jensen:

    Dawson St Luas is an utter, utter disgrace.

    Businesses there have had to put up with continuous disruption for FOUR years.

    The Empire State Building was built in 1 year and 45 days, over 80 years ago.

    It takes us 4 years to put down 300 metres of track on Dawson St. That an average of 20 centimetres of track per day.

    Disgrace.

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    Mute Dub_Right
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    May 7th 2017, 10:10 PM

    @Brinster: Dublin is a medieval city with many underground basements, streams, crypts/historically sensitive buildings which have to be very carefully managed to ensure foundations are not affected, and have to be carefully worked around by archaeologists and not some polish lad in a JCB..

    It’s not like in say London or German/European cities which were pretty much destroyed completely or heavily damaged in the war, and allowed city planners to build underground or overground rail from a blank canvas.

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    Mute Ron Koeman
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    May 7th 2017, 10:13 PM

    @Brinster: absolute joke Dubai have the same system and put it round a whole city in half the time and there’s no accidents either

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    Mute Dub_Right
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    May 7th 2017, 10:34 PM

    @Ron Koeman: Dubai = Massive blank canvas, all new buildings and roads in that city…They have 12 lane motorways through the city centre!
    Also Pre-Oil Dubai in the 1930′s and 40′s was full of shacks and small stone buildings.

    Not a fair comparison to Dublin, even though you may think so as they kinda sound the same, lol!

    54
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    Mute Mary Murphy
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    May 7th 2017, 11:48 PM

    @Fred Jensen: No doubt it will all be dug up again for a variety of reasons due to no joined up thinking……and in less than six years

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    Mute Krystian Brzezowski
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    May 8th 2017, 7:38 AM

    @Dub_Right: really? Some Polish lad in JCB? What that supposed to mean? Anyway those medieval crypts basements etc. where filled prior to the construction, construction of tracks itself is taking huge amount of time. What is the excuse for taking so long on O’Connell street? Same crypts?

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    Mute Brinster
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    May 8th 2017, 9:10 AM

    @Dub_Right:

    Four years! Four flippin years.

    And I wouldn’t mind if it was four years of continuous construction. I would n’t mind if it took four years for engineering/architectural reasons.

    But it didn’t.

    It has taken four whole years of continuous disruption because at no time (and I work round the corner) has there been more than 10 people working on site on any given day.

    Despite the fact that most of the street is dug up most of the time – most of the “works” are idle for literally months on end.

    15
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    Mute Grainne Abdulaziz
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    May 7th 2017, 8:10 PM

    I’ve bought two penis pumps from Moore Street establishments in the past year, both excellent quality. It’s a shame their businesses are being affected like this.

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    Mute The Viking
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    May 7th 2017, 8:22 PM

    @Grainne Abdulaziz: Jazus Grainne.. Surprised to hear you have a penis. Then again i dont think you could enlarge the size of your dick ..

    59
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    Mute Paddy Downey
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    May 7th 2017, 8:35 PM

    I remember businesses in Harcourt Street complaining about the devastating effects the Lúas works were having on them back a few years. Nobody in authority cared then and nobody in authority cares now.

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    Mute Jason Culligan
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    May 7th 2017, 8:41 PM

    @Paddy Downey: Why should they? Should all national infrastructure projects be cancelled if they inconvenience a few people?

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    Mute Dub_Right
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    May 7th 2017, 8:48 PM

    @Paddy Downey: Copper Face Jacks was hit really bad by the lack of lads in the GAA jerseys… Oh wait…

    39
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    Mute Tony Stack
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    May 7th 2017, 8:41 PM

    And now they will make a fortune once it gets going , swings & roundabouts

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    Mute HoneySmuggler617
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    May 7th 2017, 8:16 PM

    A bit late now considering there finished in a few months. No sympathy anyways

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    Mute filthypete
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    May 7th 2017, 8:20 PM

    @HoneySmuggler617: poor attempt.

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    Mute Fergal Doyle
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    May 8th 2017, 12:34 AM

    @HoneySmuggler617: Clown

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    Mute Dub_Right
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    May 7th 2017, 8:33 PM

    “Really affecting my Deli business”… Cue all the lads from the Luas works outside coming in to buy a Chicken fillet roll, can of coke, crisps, packet of fags… Yea.. terrible for the business! lol!

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    Mute Atlantean Irish
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    May 8th 2017, 12:51 AM

    But the works on Parnell street only got going in terms of them being an obstructive presence late last year. And vehicles can still travel down Parnell and Moore street, plus it is packed with people.

    Parnell and Moore street is packed mostly now with foreigners, both shoppers and shop owners, there is a muslim butchers in the back of a muslim grocery shop, not sure if still open.

    But the question arises, is the lack of custom to the Irish butcher due to the Luas or lack of customers due to different food habits of foreign customers or not eating non-halal meat or competition?

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    Mute Paul
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    May 8th 2017, 1:04 AM

    @Atlantean Irish: keep that quiet, another half arsed job from the Journal.

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    Mute Anne Honer
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    May 7th 2017, 9:53 PM

    Monday to Friday between Houston station and town it’s full of junkies attendi

    35
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    Mute Sandra Clifford
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    May 7th 2017, 9:12 PM

    It will be just another junkie ridden luas

    62
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    Mute Mary Murphy
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    May 7th 2017, 11:51 PM

    @Sandra Clifford: exactly eying up the windows on the houses they can visit in their own time and on our dime

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    Mute Anne Honer
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    May 7th 2017, 9:53 PM

    Court it’s scary

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    Mute Steve Tracey
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    May 8th 2017, 10:24 AM

    Not to do with effects onsses no it will because people cant cross roads or get on/off buxses conveniently/. Due to the fencing there is no way of getting on or off buses going north incl Airport from Fosters Place to just past the GPO. This also applies to taxis, very few gaps where the road can be crossed by pedestrians

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    Mute Marie Byrne
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    May 9th 2017, 12:33 AM

    To be honest I don’t come into town at all on principle because the parking charges are so high. I can pay for parking but choose not too. I can go to plenty of shopping centres with no parking or a minimum charge to get what I want I don’t want the stores to be hit but would seriously love the car parks who charge exorbitant rates to suffer they have well made their money – but not off me

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    Mute Said Babayev
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    May 8th 2017, 8:19 AM

    @Anne Honer: Is that the one in Texas?

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