REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - The European Union would cut aid to Indonesia in the fields of education, good governance, climate change, and trade investment in 2014, according to an official. The EU considers that Indonesia was capable enough to pursue its development program without EU’s aid.
The EU will reallocate the funds to support education in poor countries in Africa, as the aid was in line with Millennium Development Goals. "We trust the Indonesian government has a good policy in education. Indonesia has allocated 20 percent of state budget to education and the impact is that the rank of Indonesian education has gone up from lower to lower-middle. So European Union will cut aid to Indonesia particularly in education," said Julian Wilson, European Union Representative to ASEAN and EU Ambassador to Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam, on Tuesday.
"But I don`t know how much aid to Indonesia will be cut. However, the EU will continue to provide aid in three areas," Wilson said.
He noted that the EU had allocated 500 million to four sectors education, good governance, climate change, and trade investment in Indonesia during 2007-08. The highest allocation, of 350 million, was to the education sector.
"Indonesia is an example of the success of trade investment. The trade volume between EU and Indonesia is also increasing. This year, total trade between the EU and Indonesia increased by 23 percent," Wilson said.