Italy and other countries should increase aid donations to help stop uprisings in Africa and the Middle East spreading long-term unrest across the region and Europe, the EU's development chief told Reuters.
Andris Piebalgs said Italy needed to almost double its contribution to around 4.3 bln euros ($6.14 bln) to help the region where uprisings have unseated leaders in Tunisia and Egypt and seen rebels clashing with government forces in Libya.
Thousands of people fleeing the violence have entered Europe in recent weeks including around 20,000 through the southern Italian island of Lampedusa.
Piebalgs said EU countries needed to do more to help the transition to democracy in Africa, and called on Italy to fund broader development programmes beyond focusing on stemming immigration.
"If we don't have a better formulation of our aid, the immigration wave from Africa will continue, instability will continue and we can't just build Chinese walls," he said in an interview with Reuters late on Tuesday.
"It is obvious that these events (the uprisings) should have a positive impact on the commitments of the Europeans in terms of development aid because if not, we will face the consequences — permanent instability, military conflicts, war," he added.
The EU, the world's biggest aid donor by providing 53.8 bln euros in 2010, faces a double challenge — maintaining its level of commitment despite economic difficulties and redefining its long-term aid priorities after the unrest.
NEW MODEL
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi signed an accord with Tunisia on Tuesday to increase police cooperation and proceed to compulsory repatriations.
But Piebalgs said Italy should step up its development aid contribution — not just focus on immigration.
"It is true that Italy is very much focused on migration issues, but my message is that it should look much more broadly to its contribution, which could and should be much higher, because nobody will carry the burden for Italy," he said.
Italy's international aid amounted in 2010 to 2.3 bln euros, just 0.15% of gross national income (GNI) — less than a third of the proportion in France and Britain.
Piebalgs said Italy needed to add around another 2 bln euros.
Piebalgs also insisted the countries that joined the EU after 2004, mostly former communist states, had to do more, since they accounted for just 837 mln euros of last year's total.
Despite the economic crisis, EU members overall increased their international aid contributions to 0.43% of GNI in 2010, according to OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) figures released on Wednesday.
EU member states have pledged to raise this figure to 0.7% by 2015.
Last month the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, began redefining the way it provides support to developing countries, insisting assistance should be linked to progress on democracy and human rights.
This new approach should serve as a model, Piebalgs said.
