Vol. 410 No. 2
22 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will outline the aid which is being given by the EC to the East European countries which were liberated from the Communist system in the last two years; and the aid which is being given to the Soviet Union and the form thereof.
The Community and its member states are the major contributors to the international assistance effort in support of economic and political reform in Central and Eastern Europe. The cumulative total of EC and member state commitments of assistance since 1989 is now approximately 19 billion ECU, or about £14.5 billion. The Community contributes about 8 billion ECU with 11 billion coming from the member states. This assistance encompasses project finance, macro-economic assistance, trade credits, investment guarantees and food and medical aid. About 30 per cent is in grant form; the remainder is made up of loans. In addition, the Community and its member states are the majority shareholders in the new European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
I am lodging in the Dáil Library a set of detailed tables prepared by the Commision setting out the most recent information on assistance from the Community, its member states and other members of the Group of Twenty-Four donor nations.
To date, the Community has agreed to grant the Soviet Union 750 million ECU in food aid and 400 million ECU worth of technical assistance in the modernisation of its economy.
