Europeans want to do more for helping underdeveloped

 On the eve of the symbolic mid-term date for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a European Commission survey shows broad public support for the European Union's priorities in development co-operation. Most Europeans (66%) consider reducing extreme poverty and hunger in developing countries as a priority.

Combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases is the second goal (46%). And across the EU, Sub-Saharan Africa stands out in most people's minds as being in greatest need of aid (64%).
Development and Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Louis Michel said: "This is clearly an issue on which Europeans are engaged, and so is the Commission. Last year, over €100 for every EU citizen went in official development assistance. Giving more aid, making it more effective, increasing the coordination among us and ensuring the coherence with other policies such as trade and environment: that is the way we can contribute to achieving the MDGs by 2015."

The survey shows that, overall, EU citizens appear to have rather well-defined ideas about the priorities of development aid. 66% of EU citizens mention reduction of poverty as a top-three priority.

The main motivation for richer countries to provide help to poorer countries is linked to pragmatism. 28% of EU citizens name global stability as the main motivation for development aid; another 28% name self-interest in terms of gaining economic advantages from increased trade between donor and recipient countries.