Text tabled : A7-0034/2010

  Syed Kamall (ECR). – Mr President, when you look at this report, you see many of the old, tired phrases about how the developing world is suffering as a result of the economic crisis. Clearly there are people who will be suffering as a result of the economic crisis in these countries, but quite often they are not necessarily the people we want to help. Quite often, they are the governments who are worried about their aid budgets being cut because, with less aid money coming to them, it is more difficult to keep corrupt and inefficient governments in power. When I was in Africa last year talking to many centre-right politicians, they complained to me that aid budgets actually keep corrupt governments in power and it makes it more difficult to improve economic and political governance in those countries.

But let us look at some of the things that we propose. We talk about more investment in developing countries – and everyone would agree to that – yet we have a proposal going through this House, the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive, which will reduce investment in developing countries. We talk about helping developing country farmers, yet we continue, even in today’s budget, to vote for more resources for the common agricultural policy that does so much to damage farmers’ livelihoods in developing countries.

Let us really tackle the real source of the problems in these countries – bad governance, and protectionism in the EU.