6/7/2007
Rome Conference on Afghanistan: Ferrero-Waldner confirms EC commitment

Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, Benita Ferrero-Waldner attended the Conference on the Rule of law in Afghanistan in Rome on 3rd July. The Conference aimed to get high level political commitment by the Government of Afghanistan and the International community to the rule of law sector. An action plan was adopted for the justice sector, identifying gaps and issues to be addressed by different donors and a future funding mechanism for the sector was agreed upon.

The Commissioner took the opportunity to present her plans for the next four years, with a package worth €200 million for the rule of law sector for 2007-2010. The package will focus on three key priority areas: institutional reform in the justice sector, focusing on recruitment and pay and grading systems; support to judicial sector salaries; and funding of the Law and Order Trust Fund (LOTFA) which pays for police salaries.

The European Commission remains one of the top donors in Afghanistan and one of the very few giving a multi-year commitment. In all, the European Commission has announced €610 million for Afghanistan for the period 2007-10.

On the eve of the Conference, Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner had said: "Afghanistan's problems cannot be solved without stronger governance and respect for the rule of law. All our efforts to date will come to nothing unless we can establish a functioning rule of law in Afghanistan. People have to have the confidence and trust that the justice and police services serve them. With this new package we are demonstrating our continuing commitment to help Afghanistan build a more secure and prosperous future. The key challenges are to extend the Government's authority into the provinces, and to stamp out narcotics production which destabilizes the country politically and economically. That is why our new package will put a special focus on strengthening the rule of law and in particular on reform of the justice sector. Boosting the professionalism of the key legal institutions will complement the EU's work with the Afghan police – helping to improve law enforcement at all levels".

As the largest donor to the Law and Order Trust Fund for Afghanistan (€135 million since 2002), the European Commission has already made a major contribution to supporting the salaries and training needs of the Afghan police, and this work will continue under the new package. A further €75 million for LOTFA is planned for the next two years.

The European Commission now intends to launch a new programme of support to the justice sector. The European Commission will place experts in key justice institutions (Ministry of Justice, Supreme Court and the Attorney General's office) to draw up a major programme of reforms in the judiciary and legal services in Afghanistan. The aim will be to improve the qualifications, recruitment, and career structure for judges and prosecutors and to introduce a code of ethics.

European Commission initiatives in this field complement the ESDP mission on policing, which is now on the ground in Afghanistan.
In addition to these activities in the justice sector, the European Commission's new package will also support capacity building in local and regional administration, with a view to increasing the focus on the rule of law in the provinces.
For more information please visit:
http://ec.europa.eu/comm/external_relations/afghanistan/intro/index.htm