On 25 October a welcome development came as aid transparency was included in the European Parliament’s report on aid effectiveness, which; “Emphasises that aid transparency is essential in order to ensure both ownership and aid effectiveness; calls, therefore, on the Commission and Member States to adopt an ambitious stance on aid transparency by promoting at international level mechanisms that seek to establish global standards in this area, such as the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) [and] calls on the Member States that have not yet done so to sign up and implement the IATI.”

Commissioner Piebalgs also commented in the European Parliament debate that “As there is an economic crisis in the European Union, people are increasingly asking what results have been achieved in development. The best answer is definitely to give full transparency as to how the resources are being used. I definitely could give this House assurances that the money has not been wasted. It has definitely helped millions of people move out of poverty, and more kids to get to school and to survive in very difficult conditions. But still the public at large expects even more transparency as regards the money that is being used for development aid.”

We hope that the European Commission and EU Member States deliver an ambitious and comprehensive EU Transparency Guarantee at the meeting of European Development Ministers on 14 November ahead of the High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Busan.