EU

Kristalina Georgieva, European Humanitarian Commissioner, today visited Pakistan to see the effect of the devastating floods on the country. More than 17 million people are now affected by the floods – in an area that now constitutes the world's largest freshwater lake.

2010 saw Europe missing their poverty targets and today Heads of State compounded this by failing to put new commitments on the table to achieve their 2015 aid targets and keep their promises to the world’s poorest people.

EU Foreign Affairs Ministers meeting today in Luxembourg discussed how the EU could best support the lifting of the blockade on Gaza. Oxfam welcomes the discussion, but is disappointed that it failed to result in a concrete plan to end the blockade.

EU Development Ministers have just recommited to an old promise made by donors back in 1970s, failing to provide any guarantees to poor countries that Europe is serious about getting back on track to meet the Millennium Development Goals, warns Oxfam.

International aid agency Oxfam welcomes the European Commission’s new aid package of 24 million euros for Niger and other countries in the Sahel region of West Africa, which was announced today in Brussels.

A group of powerful women from the front-line in the fight against poverty have appealed to European leaders to ensure health and education for all people by rescuing the Millennium Development Goals.

Two years ago, rich nations promised to deliver a legally binding climate deal in Copenhagen. Now rich countries have admitted to back peddling in order to accommodate the US.

The European Union’s suggestion today of global public financing worth €22-€50 billion per year for developing countries to tackle climate change falls short of what is needed.

As the second to last negotiations before Copenhagen draw to a close in Bangkok, three big sticking points remain. These issues show a lack of willingness of the EU and other industrialised countries to find common ground with developing countries.