Pakistan, EU Boost Ties

Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari can certainly be satisfied with the first ever EU-Pakistan summit meeting. Only a few weeks ago, many in the West had openly questioned Pakistan’s resolve in fighting the Taliban. This perception has changed drastically after Pakistan launched the ongoing military campaign against the insurgents in the Swat valley. It was clear in Brussels that Zardari has managed to convince his European interlocutors that Pakistan is indeed serious about wiping out extremist militancy. Jose Manuel Barroso, the head of the EU Commission, put it this way:

“We were impressed by his commitment, his engagement in this matter. Not only to make Pakistan a democratic country, but also to do everything to avoid Pakistan being a source of conflict and terrorism to other parts of the world.”

And Vaclav Klaus, who as Czech president holds the rotating EU presidency, echoed this assessment:

“We were really impressed by the determination on the side of President Zardari and other members of his delegation in this issue. So we have seen visible changes to the past and we are quite optimistic!”

Pakistan on European agenda

Otherwise, the summit brought little in terms of concrete results. Shada Islam heads the Asia Programme at the European Policy Centre in Brussels.

“It is modest, but it was expected to be modest. In a sense, the meeting itself is the message. The message being that Pakistan is now fully on Europe’s radar screen. That it’s an important political ally, and that more needs to be done to make Pakistan a real democracy and to fight extremism in Pakistan.”

The EU did promise more aid for the people fleeing from Swat and adjacent regions. Europe will support Pakistan with 124 million Euros in all, 72 million of it in humanitarian aid, for coping with the fallout of the military operation. But many think that this is not enough. Shada Islam explains:

“Mr Guterres, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, has asked for much more aid. The Americans are providing much more aid, so are the Japanese. We need to move fast, we need to move now, quickly! Because if we don’t, if the Europeans, the Americans and others are not visible, look who’s gaining the upper hand: It’s the religious parties that are already in the refugee camps, with their welfare programmes.”

21st century development agenda for Pakistan

The EU and Pakistan also want to boost bilateral trade in order to strengthen Pakistan’s economy. Experts like Shada Islam think that whereas Washington has traditionally been focused on military cooperation with Islamabad, Europe could actually do much more to help Pakistan modernize its civilian institutions:

“Police, judicial sector, education, health services, modernization of political parties. I mean, we are a democracy in Pakistan at the moment. But the civilian institutions are weak, fragile – they could be toppled over any time by a stronger army! And let’s talk about political parties: They are feudal, they’re dynastic! We need a reform of the political system! And all of these tools Europe as a ‚soft power’ has, it has gained them in Eastern and Central Europe. And it is using this same formula that I am advocating now in the Balkans, quite successfully. And I would say: Use those tools, use the 21st century development agenda in Pakistan!”

It is unclear as yet if the EU-Pakistan Summit is to become a regular institution such as the EU’s annual meetings with India and China. But there would certainly not be a lack of topics for discussion. For the time being, the upcoming EU Summit on Thursday and Friday is likely to hail once more Pakistan’s efforts in fighting terrorism. And President Zardari, who is still in Brussels, is expected hold informal talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the sidelines.

Author: Thomas Bärthlein (Brussels)
Editor: Arun Chowdhury