NEW EURASIA FOUNDATION DEMARCHE: AUSTRIAN RESPONSE

UNCLAS VIENNA 001136

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/ACE AND EUR/AGS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID PHUM PREL AU
SUBJECT: NEW EURASIA FOUNDATION DEMARCHE: AUSTRIAN RESPONSE

REF: STATE 44003


1. On April 7, Econ Unit Chief met with Ingrid Sager, Head
of the MFA's Eastern European Development Assistance
Division, to encourage Austrian participation in the New
Eurasia Foundation (FNE). Sager said that Austria,
unfortunately, would not contribute to the FNE. She added
that, because of its limited resources, the GoA concentrated
its official development assistance (ODA) on priority
countries. The GoA's 2005 ODA budget for the region (Eastern
Europe, Central Asia, and the Balkans) was only Euro 15
million, and the western Balkan nations received the bulk of
these funds. The GoA had decided, however, to increase its
assistance to Moldova to Euro 700,000 in 2005. Sager noted
that the GoA does provide approximately Euro 200,000-300,000
of support to Austrian NGOs partnering with indigenous NGOs
in the CIS area. Sager said that while ODA to the region was
"below average," Austrian commercial activity in Eastern
Europe had been very much "above average" for over a decade.
Brown