EU's response to natural disasters prompts new criticism of crisis policy

Pakistan flood response prompts criticism over EU aid

Pakistan demands more help from international donors

So far the floods have affected 14 million people, caused some 1,600 deaths and destroyed thousands of acres of crops, leading the UN to warn that the aftermath could be worse than from the 2010 Haiti earthquake and the 2004 Asian tsunami combined.

The UN has called for 350 million euros ($449m) in emergency international aid to help Pakistan. According to the Department for International Development, the United States has pledged 43 million euros in emergency aid to Pakistan. Britain has allocated 20.4 million euros and earmarked up to 37.5 million euros for relief aid. The EU has so far given Pakistan a modest 40 million euros in short-term flood aid.

The EU's offer has prompted widespread criticism from aid agencies and charities with Oxfam calling the European efforts "pitiful."

"The European Union, the world's richest group of countries, can afford to be much more generous," Oxfam said in a statement. "The crisis has escalated. EU aid must do the same."

"We must not forget that the EU is the world's biggest donor of aid, even bigger than the United States," said Pothier. "What the problem is, however, is that the aid situation is very fragmented within the EU. The donor system is spread between too many departments and agencies which makes the efficient channelling of the money to the right places an extremely complicated business ... and, yes, it does make the EU look weak and ineffective."

Lack of cohesive, unified approach adds to problems

Other critics of the EU efforts have said that the bloc is not responding cohesively enough to the ongoing human tragedy in Pakistan and that the division of labor between EU delegations in Islamabad is causing more problems than it is solving.

Aid efforts face difficulties reaching victims in remote areas

"It's very clear in Pakistan, just as it is in Afghanistan, that there are too many layers and too many different EU approaches," said Pothier. "There are too many EU strategies and programs working in Pakistan right now."

However, in general, Dr. Sven Grimm believes the EU can actually benefit from a division of labour - as long as it coordinated correctly.

"I do not see a major problem of cross-agency coordination within the EU when it comes to responding to humanitarian crisis," he said. "The key point appears to be coordination between the EU and its member states. This would appear to be a good solution if the profiles of the agencies are clear and coordination within the EU system works; if member states and the Commission do not haggle over who would go first - or who goes at all."

Fears of militants filling aid vacuum

Tomas Niklasson, the EU's top envoy to Islamabad, said earlier this week that the security situation in the country is complicating relief efforts and that the lack of a strong response from the Pakistan government is creating a vacuum which Islamist groups are more than happy to fill.

Pakistani Taliban have moved quickly to fill the aid void

Islamist and jihadist groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Pakistani Taliban are the most visible providers of aid and support in some of the afflicted regions, delivering their help with an additional militant message. The Taliban has even pledged 15.5 million euros of its own money in aid relief while calling on the Pakistani government to reject "Western" assistance.

It is also alleged that the concern over Islamist assistance coupled with the shortfall in European aid has prompted the United States to increase its own relief efforts to counteract the effects of the militant groups and boost the level of international donations.

Author: Nick Amies

Editor: Rob Mudge