BRUSSELS, April 20 (UPI) -- The European Union is set to boost support to pro-democracy movements in neighboring countries, introducing a more flexible U.S.-style system.
European lawmakers Wednesday moved to set up a new independent foundation charged with the flexibility and independence to respond rapidly to situations that threaten democracy and human rights. Officially an NGO, the European Foundation for Democracy would use its status to operate in a less bureaucratic way and channel its $75 million budget to projects in neighboring countries. It would not need permission from authoritarian regimes to support the opposition financially, as is the case with the existing set-up.
The 25-member bloc's current $174 million 'Democracy Initiative' is operating far too slowly and is hamstrung by political sensitivities, Vice President of the European Parliament Edward McMillan-Scott, said in a statement.
The Union will look both to the former Soviet states and the Middle East in its efforts to spread the rule of democracy. "The Arab world presents a special challenge today which we must be prepared to meet," McMillan said. "Our security depends on it: After all, the four London bombers came from my constituency, but they were motivated by events in the Middle East."
