Monday, 8th February 2010
Iraq Reconstruction
How much money has the EU spent on the reconstruction of Iraq? On what projects has this money been spent? How much is anticipated will be spent in Iraq between now and 2013?
Struan Stevenson MEP received the following answer from Mr Piebalgs on behalf of the European Commission (23/3/2010) -
In the period from 2003-2009 total EU funding to Iraq, including both reconstruction assistance and humanitarian assistance, amounts to just over EUR 995 million. Of that amount, reconstruction support totals EUR 827 million.
In line with the main objective of this aid to Iraq, almost half of the aid has been allocated to the development of basic services (health, education, water and sanitation) and almost one quarter has been used in human development (durable solutions for refugees, rural development, land mine action) sectors. The balance has been attributed to electoral support and institutional capacity building. Over the last years the Commission has been particularly concerned by the plight of the large numbers of displaced Iraqis, especially since February 2006 after the bombing of the Al-Askari shrine in Samarra. This led the Commission to target a large part of reconstruction assistance (over EUR 82 million) in 2007 and 2008 in support of refugees in neighbouring countries (Syria and Jordan) and internally displaced people inside Iraq. The focus of this support has been the provision of basic services such as health care, education and water and sanitation.
The 2009 Assistance Programme, with a budget of EUR 42 million, was approved by the Commission in December 2009. This programme centres on support to education (basic and vocational education and training), support in the field of elections and support to the Independent Human Rights Commission.
The Commission is moving progressively towards a regular multi-annual programming strategy for Iraq. Already for the period 2009-2010 the Commission defined a two-year integrated assistance package with a total budget of EUR 65.8 million (EUR 42 million for 2009; EUR 23.8 million for 2010) which centres on capacity building in the area of "Good Governance" and the delivery of "Basic Services".
For the period 2011-2013 the Commission is currently preparing the first ever Country Strategy Paper (CSP) for Iraq. While the financial envelope for that period is still to be defined, the volume of EU resources has decreased considerably in comparison to past years and it is most likely that the yearly amount will remain similar to the amount indicated above for 2010. This decrease in resources comes in line with a move from large multi-donor reconstruction programmes towards bilateral programmes focused on capacity building. Iraq has a rich and diverse resource base, and the effective and efficient utilisation of these resources can lay the foundation for sustainable growth. The key role for the international community, including the EU, has become one of helping Iraq mobilise its own resources to improve the welfare of the Iraqi people and rebuild the country's infrastructure.
The Commission websites dedicated to Iraq , managed by the EuropeAid co-operation office and the Directorate-General for External Relations, include a large amount of additional information on this subject.
