17
Apr
2023
Watch
One-minute speeches on matters of political importance
Mr President, thank you very much. Since 2017, Uganda has received SEK 2.5 billion in EU aid. At the same time, Uganda's parliament has voted that homosexuality can lead to the death penalty. It is enough that you identify yourself as gay and you can get ten years in prison. Only the President’s signature is now missing – the President, who has previously said that he supports the proposal, but who also wants to safeguard relations with the West. It is the EU's duty to the taxpayer to make demands on aid countries. Governments that violate human rights and oppress their own citizens or wage war against other countries do not need to receive a single penny of our tax money. It is immoral for the EU to give money to countries where homosexuality is punishable by death. What are the limits of when our aid to an authoritarian regime does more harm than good? When do we help cement a dictatorship through generous aid? One thing is certain: We need to rethink the EU's aid policy now.