By: Agus *)
Nowadays, the focus issues that European Union’s (EU) are environmental and social development, also climate change. EU want to strengthen cooperation plan with Indonesian based on those main issues, therefore of the environment accounted for 60 percent of EU development funds to Indonesia.
The acting European Union Ambassador to Indonesia, Colin Crooks, explains that EU-Indonesia development cooperation in 2015 has as its objective the support of “transformational change for the Indonesian people”, which would be carried out through environmental development programs.
Among the attempts that the EU will fund in Indonesia this year are the improvement of biodiversity, sustainable peat land management and capacity-building in lowering carbon emissions, particularly some provinces such as Aceh, which will begin at the end of the year.
The EU will also accompany Indonesia in increase sustainable consumption and production by encouraging climate-friendly policies in its development plans.
He also emphasize “We are shifting our role with Indonesia from mere direct bilateral assistance to a more partnership approach, which we will continue to pursue further.”
The EU and its member states contributed up to 570 million euros in development assistance to Indonesia in 2014, with 341 million going into the field of the environment and climate change. Other development sectors assisted by the EU include education, infrastructure, food security, sanitation, economic cooperation and good governance.
*) The Author is Brunei Contributor
