European Union foreign ministers called Monday on Afghan authorities to deliver on a laundry list of reforms, as they pledged to support the country well after the withdrawal of international combat troops in 2014. "This commitment requires a reciprocal and genuine effort by the Afghan authorities to meet (their) reform obligations," the 27 ministers said in a joint statement.
The EU wants Afghanistan to hold "inclusive and credible" elections, carry out an "inclusive" peace process, promote an "independent" civil society, guarantee the respect of human rights and improv the country's justice and banking sectors. The bloc currently runs a police training mission in Afghanistan. Its foreign ministers said that policing would continue to be "the key focus of EU assistance in the security sector." "Assuring the professionalism and quality of the Afghan police is a higher priority than funding sufficient numbers alone," they said.
The EU and its member states funnel a total of around 1 billion euros (1.3 billion dollars) in assistance to the southern Asian country every year. The ministers did not put a figure on the EU's future contribution, saying only that there would be a "long-term commitment ... to support Afghanistan during transition and the decade of transformation."
Diplomats said one reason why an amount would not immediately be named is that member states are currently involved in acrimonious negotiations over what the EU budget should be from 2014 to 2020. It is not expected to be finalised before the end of the year. The future of Afghanistan is set to take center stage at a Nato summit in Chicago this week. The EU's top officials will be among the politicians taking part in the two-day event.
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