The EU's contribution policy to the World Food Programme : a study of the EU's allocation of food aid contributions amond the WFP's development projects in different countries

Abstract

This thesis is a study of the EU s allocation of earmarked food aid contributions among the WFP s development projects in different countries. The study is carried out on basis of five hypotheses deduced from a rational actor model and an organisational process model. The discussion of the hypotheses is based on results from regression analyses of the EU s food aid contributions provided to the WFP, in the period 1991-96. The study identifies and explains the factors that are fundamental for the allocation of these earmarked contributions among the various recipient countries.

The study proves that the EU allocates significantly more food aid to the recipient countries classified as better off developing countries than to those classified as the most needy ones. The countries received amount of food aid, respectively, reflects the varying costs it takes to ensure proper execution of operations in connection with development projects owing to different circumstances in the host countries. Furthermore, the EU s allocation of food aid proves to be a result of a strictly regulated and standardised decision-making process which, consequently, implies that the countries amount of received food aid increases progressively with their respective number of received contributions. In addition, the study proves that the official objective for EU aid policy, to foster the observance of the observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms, and developing and consolidating democracy and the rule of law , stated under the Maastricht Treaty, 130 u, has no significant effect on the EU s allocation actions among the recipient countries. Neither are constraints formulated as imperatives to avoid a decrease in the European Development Fund found to have any significant effect on the allocation of food aid.

These findings prove to proceed from two core elements of the contribution policy of which the noted factors are reflections. One such main element is the drive for efficiency in the relation to the allocation of food aid, while the other main element consists of an idealistic and moral justification of the allocation of such aid. These two main elements do not necessarily oppose each other. Rather, they characterise two basic types of purposes that are embodied into the comprehensive set of objectives and supply terms in connection with the EU s food aid, mainly stated in Council Regulations on food aid