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		EU aid fails Asian Nations Monday, 8 July 2002 A recent Report by an official UK government office in Brussels has criticised the European Commission for failing to improve poverty in Asian countries despite having control of the foreign aid budget. The Report by the Department for International Development shows that the European Commission is decreasing the amount of money being allocated to improve poverty in low income or least developed countries such as South Asia, Sri Lanka, East Timor and Burma. East Midlands Euro-MP Roger Helmer says the European Commission is failing to spend the foreign aid budget effectively to improve poverty in Asian countries, where spending levels are lower than other regions which benefit from assistance. Mr Helmer worked in the Far East for twelve years before becoming an MEP and has visited Sri Lanka, India and Nepal. He is also a member of the ASEAN (South East Asia) delegation in the European Parliament. Speaking from the European Parliament in Brussels, Conservative MEP Roger Helmer said: "The European Commission has shown it is not competent to run the foreign aid budget. It has diminished its focus on poverty in Asian countries, where poverty is higher yet spending is lower than other regions which benefit from EU assistance. "The UK government should repatriate foreign aid and focus on bilateral aid to poorer and underdeveloped countries in Asia. Commonwealth countries have a particular claim on our help."