BRUSSELS: The European Union donated upwards of €570 million (US$642.7 million) to Indonesia in 2014, according to a new report.
The EU jointly released an annual report on development cooperation with Indonesia, dubbed the Blue Book 2015, which provides an overview of the objectives, activities and outcomes of the development assistance that the EU and its member states provide to Indonesia.
According to acting EU Ambassador to Indonesia, Colin Brooks, the 2015 report reveals that the EU donated more than €570 million in development aid to the country in 2014.
As the Blue Book 2015 clearly shows, the EU and Indonesia have built up close cooperation in diverse areas including education, environment, good governance and economic cooperation,” Crooks said during his opening remarks at the book launch in Central Jakarta, on Tuesday.
Crooks said that this year’s report would focus on offering assistance that will have a direct transformational impact on the people, citing the book’s theme of “putting people first”.
Many Indonesian people, from pupils and their teachers in Flores to furniture makers in Jepara [Central Java], from local nutmeg producers in North Sulawesi to local forest officers in Aceh district, benefited from EU cooperation,” he said.
According to the report, the EU has allocated €341 million to the field of environment and climate change, as well as €36 million to education, €65 million to economic cooperation.
It has also donated €31 million for good governance, €16 million for health, water and sanitation and €81 million for other areas, including infrastructure, disaster preparedness and food security.
