Chair of the European Parliament Budgetary Control Committee, Michael Theurer, asks: "How can the European Commission ensure that EU funds are not being misused in Pakistan?"

2013-02-04 16:24:26 -
EURO MEDIA LTD /
Chair of the European Parliament Budgetary Control Committee, Michael Theurer, 
asks: "How can the European Commission ensure that EU funds are not being 
misused in Pakistan?" 
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Chair of the European Parliament Budgetary Control Committee, Michael Theurer,
asks: "How can the European Commission ensure that EU funds are not being
misused in Pakistan?"

The EU gives around €185 Million in development aid to the Pakistani Government
every year. This constitutes close to 14% of the total commitment of the EU to
Central and Southern Asia. There are many strong indications to believe that
Pakistan does not use the money in the way reported by the 
  
    
      
        

	    
  
  authorities. As per
the National Corruption Perception Survey executed by Transparency International
in 2009, in the three year period that preceded 2009; corruption in Pakistan had
grown 400%.

According to Syed Adil Gilani, the chairman of Transparency International, the
root cause of terrorism, poverty, shortage of electricity, illiteracy, and
scarcity of food is corruption. Michael Theurer has therefore tabled written
questions to Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs, in which he requests
information on "how the European Commission can ensure that EU funds are not
being misused and embezzled in Pakistan".  "Sadly the answers to my concrete
questions were very vague", Theurer said. "If we can not prove that our tax
payers money is not being used to line the pockets of corrupt politicians, or
worse, to fund terrorism, we should make use of the option to cut these funds.
This is doubly important in times of recession and austerity measures across the
continent", Theurer added.


Michael Theurer is at your disposal for further information. Please contact his
office in Brussels: Adam Mouchtar, Tel. +32 228 31639 or
Michael.Theurer@europarl.europa.eu.



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