Poverty, drought and neglect in the Sahel

It is with deep sadness that we have learned about the loss of another five peacekeepers deployed in Mali with the UN mission. They were killed yesterday by a group of armed men. The mission has been repeatedly targeted. This time the attack took place in the central region of the country, well outside the troubled areas of Northern Mali. It´s therefore a new development and one should be very concerned. It shows that the insecurity is now reaching other provinces. It also raises a few questions about the dissemination of extremist ideas to different parts of the Malian countryside. Endemic poverty combined with a couple of years of drought and abandonment by the central authorities make some people more attentive to the words of local preachers that have acquired their simplistic views in some faraway places in the Arab Peninsula. 

The 2016 G7 Summit is over

This year´s G7 Summit, just completed in Japan, made no history. It was hardly noticed by the European public opinion, just to mention those close to home. Jean-Claude Juncker, the EU Commission President made some brief references to the steel dispute with China, on top of mentioning that the European economy is now much better than in 2008 and that it is moving in a healthy direction. Well, that´s good to know. Donald Tusk, the EU Council President, said a couple of things as well, but no one remembers a word of it. And that was basically the European side of the story, because Merkel, Hollande and Renzi were too concerned about their own domestic problems to be able to fly higher than their national contexts.

Moreover, there was a small number of heads of State from non-G7 countries at the tail end of the summit. They were certainly very happy to sit with the big people and be part of the group picture. But their contribution to the discussions remains unclear. Most likely, to them as well.

On the G7 Summit

The G7 Summit, which has just started in Japan, has been used by President Obama to send a few darts against Donald Trump. Fine. Everything that can be done to fight Trump´s threatening campaign should be welcome. But the key issues at the meeting were not about Trump´s race towards the White House. There was a mixed vinaigrette salad on the table. Each leader came to the meeting with her or his own concerns. Japan, for instance, is more than ever worried about China. In some ways that apprehension is shared with the US, as far as it concerns the disputed islands in the South China Sea. Europe is anxious about unstoppable migration flows and their tremendous destabilising impact on the traditional way of doing politics, particularly the rise of all types of populist ideas. But the show most go on. That´s why we have these summits: they allow the leaders to pretend they are apprehensive with and responding to global matters when, in fact, they are just trying to address their own individual domestic challenges. Politics, including international affairs, remain focussed on narrow national agendas. 

Africa Day

On this Day of Africa, I acknowledge that the EU´s Africa policy has lost visibility and depth. 

Austria and the European silence

The extreme-right candidate ended up by losing the presidential elections in Austria. He was pretty close to get the position, as the final results have shown. And during the last couple of weeks or so, he was considered by many observers in Brussels and elsewhere in the EU as the likely winner of the elections, the possible future president of Austria. Ten or fifteen years ago, such possibility would have raised a wave of indignation throughout Europe. It would have been a major roar. Not now. The EU leaders and the key opinion makers are so absorbed by other major issues that they had no time – and probably very little energy left – to express any audible type of rejection for a candidate that is a true wolf in a sheep´s skin. Meaning, an extremist with a sweet voice and a nice presentation, a young politician with antiquated ideas, an extremist that wanted to be seen as a centrist, a term he used many times, as a bright cape to hide the dark clothes of his policy options. And that worrying silence is, in my opinion, one of the main preoccupations we should keep in mind, a key question mark, as we look at this case. 

To be better at fighting radical views

My understanding is that the anti-radicalisation programmes in France and Belgium, at least, are not achieving the expected results. The information available shows that the extremist proselytism is still taking place and that no real action is taken against the preachers responsible for the propagation of such unacceptable and dangerous views. In many cases, the means available to deal with this complex issue are too modest and dispersed.

In some of our societies in the Western part of Europe, the fanaticism touches more families than initially thought. The illegal running of koranic “schools” says a lot about the penetration of religious radicalism within certain communities. This week, for instance, the mayor of Molenbeek, in Brussels, announced that a “school” for children aged between 3 and 8 years had been found operating without any kind of authorization. The place was attended by 38 pupils and the teachings were clearly based on an extreme interpretation of the Koran. That a good number of families had opted to send their children to an establishment of that kind says a lot about the challenges our societies are facing. 

We have to be honest about those challenges. That does not mean we are against the freedom of religion. It simply means we are not blind about the dangers that might come from the radical elements in our communities.  

Do not underestimate Trump´s chances

The snags Hillary Clinton is facing – obvious today again as we got the results of the primaries in Kentucky and Oregon – do not augur well. She will have an extremely tough time fighting against Donald Trump´s populist campaign. Hillary will win the Democratic nomination, no doubt about that, but she will need a very well planned battle plan, and a different personal style, closer to people´s day-to-day preoccupations, if she wants to have a chance to win the presidential election.

It is not going to be easy at all. Trump is now changing his methods, softening his discourse, building friendships all over, and making sure he looks as a top class statesman. At the same time, he will remain a major attraction for many average people who are tired of traditional politics and life-long professional politicians. It is important to recognise he will be a formidable opponent. He is in this game to win and he knows one or two things about defeating political old hands. Just ask the other guys that were competing against him in his own camp. He should not be underestimated at all. 

Progress on Syria and Libya: it should be possible

The efforts being led these days by John Kerry and Sergey Lavrov regarding Libya and Syria should be recognised. They are spending a good amount of time in Vienna and around. And they have also been wise in terms of keeping the UN on board and at the centre of the processes. If they keep this kind of engagement we should be able to see some progress. Actually, when it comes to Libya, it is now obvious that things have started to move in the right direction. The EU should come out clearly in support of these efforts. That should be done as a single voice. Through the EU High Representative, if possible.

Libya needs a more coordinated EU assistance

Key countries committed to help Libya to overcome the chaos created in October 2011, when Muammar Kaddafi was overthrown by a Western coalition of countries, met today in Vienna to look for ways of supporting the Government of National Accord (GNA) that is now in place in Tripoli. The GNA is led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and has the support of the UN. It´s however facing major difficulties. There are two other rival governments in the Eastern and Central areas of the country as well as dozens of small armed groups all over. The terrorist group Islamic State is also heavily present in a growing number of places.

The EU could play a major role in the stabilisation process. Italy should take the leading coordinating role on the European side. But Italy is very unclear about its own policy approach to Libya. It had suggested it would deploy Italian troops under the UN banner. Now, the government in Rome says it is not prepared to go that way. Fine. But at least they could bring together the EU States and advocate for a common political position. That´s very much needed as France, the UK and others are on their own in the country and working with separate armed groups and factions. Such actions do contribute to add further confusion in Libya. There is therefore room for fighting for a unified EU position. Why is Italy so hesitant? 

Still on corruption: aid transparency

Aid transparency ranking:



Data compiled in the Aid Transparency Index and released by Publish What You Fund in April 2016.

Only 10 donors, responsible for only a quarter of all aid, are hitting the mark in terms of transparency of their funding programmes. We know that transparent aid flows do significantly contribute to increase accountability in recipient countries. And we also have spent the last 25 years listening to excellent lectures on good governance, as delivered by excellent representatives from donor countries and agencies. 

I believe the table speaks for itself. 

The powerful smell of corruption

Today´s Anti-Corruption Summit brought together a few political leaders and some NGOs. 

David Cameron, the convener of the meeting, says the gathering has been a success. I would not go that far. He might have obtained some domestic gains out of it, I would not dispute that. However, I would also add the summit was simply one more step towards a more transparent international order. 

But we are still far away from the goal. It would be a serious mistake to try to fool ourselves about this. Many countries are led by extremely corrupt political elites. Those elites might have paid some attention to the final communiqué of today´s meeting. They will keep a close eye on the implementation of the conclusions. But they know they have many alternatives besides London. Including in other parts of Europe, of course. 

Being positive on Europe Day

Every 9 May, the EU celebrates Europe Day.

This year we might conclude there isn´t much to be happy about. Martin Schulz, the EU Parliament boss, in an interview to a Portuguese daily newspaper, compared Europe to a bicycle with “flat tyres”. Basically, it would mean it has to keep moving but there is no air in the rubbers, the wheels can´t move properly.

I think we should be a bit more positive nonetheless. At least today.

The EU is still one of the most attractive places to be in the world. For its quality of life and for its standards of living. Also, because it is a space of liberties – yes, plural – and rule of law, as well as a continent of peace and security. It is still pretty predictable in terms of one´s human rights. And, in international relations, it is a major actor in the fields of development and humanitarian assistance.

These are some remarkable dimensions that one should emphasise on this day.

On the UN´s top race

The British would certainly veto any Argentinian candidate, if there was one for the post of the UN Secretary-General. The Falklands, the islands the Argentinians call Malvinas, would be the reason. That´s how these things are decided. 

The 2016 Charlemagne Prize

The Charlemagne Prize is an annual award that recognises outstanding efforts in favour of a stronger EU. This year´s winner is a special one for a few reasons. He is not a European citizen. Furthermore, he is not directly involved with European politics and actually he does not want to be seen as too close to just one region of the world. And he is above all a religious leader, known as Pope Francis.

But he is also a moral beacon to many. And a candid speaker about the plight of immigrants. He has strongly advised the EU leaders to be more responsive to the massive arrivals of refugees and immigrants. He himself has been to reception centres in Italy and Greece as a way of calling the politicians attention to the predicament of those who are stuck out there.

All this is highly valuable. However, the issue remains a political one. The Pope´s moral appeals have no real impact on politicians that see the issue has core to their national interests and also for their own survival as government leaders. The immigration and refugee matters are essentially political. They are one of the most definitive challenges to the unity of Europe. They call for political vision, for clarity about the overall goal, what really matters for the future of Europe, the options, and the consequences of each choice, all of this far beyond the remit of a prize, even one as important as the Charlemagne award.

It´s their fault, isn´t it?

It´s a bit strange to see people who have been at the core of the EU as leaders for many years to come out now and criticise the way Europe is moving. Or is it a new type of self-criticism and I am not getting it?

There is no Syrian ownership of the peace talks

The Syrian Geneva process is clearly owned and directed by foreigners: the US, Russia, Saudi Arabia and somehow the UN, through its Special Envoy. The Syrian side – the many parties to the conflict – are sitting in the margins or squarely outside, far out. They are not committed to the process, one should add. And if that is the case I do not see how such an exercise can achieve any meaningful and durable results.  

Brussels airport

Brussels airport is getting back to normal, after the terrorist explosions of 22 March. Today it was a special day. The TV channels have shown the repaired departures hall and interviewed some of the checking-in staff.  It was very moving to see how motivated they are. That´s a great response to the forces of darkness and madness.

But the security procedures that have been implemented today were not smart. Passengers had to wait for two or more hours outside the hall before being screened and let in. That created big crowds and lots of anxiety. Some missed their flights.

That´s an outdated way of doing things. Passengers should be allowed to proceed as usual. This is a major airport and cannot be controlled as a provincial airport in some remote place of India. At the outside doors and in the hall the police or other type of security agents could be present with sniffer dogs. They would detect anything suspicious in any piece of luggage. And they would let it go smoothly and safely for everyone else. 

May Day

Here and in many parts of the world, today we celebrate Labour Day. It´s a celebration about rights and therefore it should not be ignored. Every time there is an opportunity to talk about people´s rights we should do it. It´s a never ending struggle. And today we should also write about all those who have no job, no future, as well as about all the children that are at work instead of being at school. Massive unemployment and child labour are two important dimensions of the world´s poverty. They call for effective responses.