House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia and Emerging Threats Hearing
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Chairman Rohrabacher, Ranking Member Keating, Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for inviting me to testify before you today on the President's FY 2015 budget request for
I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation for your leadership in the passage of the legislation that enabled us to provide a
For almost 25 years,
Over those twenty-five years, we have seen enhanced freedom, security, and prosperity across the region, and have been able to phase out entirely our transition assistance to 11 countries in
That said, the region's transformation remains incomplete. And today, the democratic and economic trajectory across the region is not uniformly positive.
Corruption, democratic drift, fragile financial sectors, protracted conflicts, ethnic tension, and violence continue to be sources of concern in many states. EU aspirants in the Western Balkans need continued support to reinforce and advance EU accession-required reforms, some of which have stalled or are vulnerable to backsliding. The Central Asian countries are looking for increased balance in their economic futures and increased linkages to European and South Asian markets. Transnational threats like organized crime, WMD proliferation, trafficking in persons, weapons, and narcotics, and the spread of highly infectious diseases still pose direct challenges to regional and U.S. security. Resources are needed to bolster engagement with European partners on global security challenges that will promote military modernization and interoperability with U.S. and allied forces. U.S. assistance continues to play an important role in helping governments and societies to address all of these challenges.
And while the focus of my testimony is on our FY 2015 budget request for
In light of the current crisis in
Any prospective adjustments will be accompanied by thorough consultation with
My testimony today will outline five strategic objectives for U.S. assistance to
First, we aim to enhance the sovereignty of countries in the region, including the right to choose their own political and economic relationships. As
Today, of course, the struggle to defend the core principle of national sovereignty is playing out most dramatically in
Following
We have identified the following five priority baskets to focus our additional assistance:
. Strengthen the Economy and Promote Growth:
. Support Constitutional Reforms, National Unity, and Confidence-Building Measures, Particularly in the East and South:
. Diversify
. Fight Corruption: U.S. assistance bolsters the Ukrainian Government's efforts to enact systemic changes to deter, detect, investigate, and prosecute corruption. Our assistance will also support civil society and the private sector as partners in the fight against corruption as well as government efforts to build mechanisms for collaboration and communication with civil society, the private sector, and the general public.
. Reform and Build the Capacity of the Security Sector:
As
In addition to its aggressive actions in
In
Second, we are supporting greater European integration for those countries that seek it. As
The majority of our assistance to
While
In the Western Balkans, our FY 2015 resources will support EU accession-required reforms, including implementation of agreements between
Third, we are working to help countries throughout the region take meaningful steps to root out corruption and shore up their adherence to the rule of law. Deeply rooted corruption inhibits economic growth and undermines countries' ability to achieve their full potential. In the wake of the crisis in
Effectively combating corruption requires a mix of political will from governments to create a culture of enforcement and accountability as well as sustained effort across society--particularly civil society and the media--to stimulate public demand for transparency and integrity. We are assisting governments and civil society in their efforts to create an environment where laws are enforced fairly, transparently, and accountably.
In the Balkans, we have seen some limited progress in the context of the EU accession process, while in Eurasia and
Fourth, we are working to reverse the worrying trend of democratic backsliding and to provide greater openness and freedom for populations across the region. Over the past several years, we have witnessed governments closing the space for activists, organizations, media, and ordinary citizens in order to silence criticism, and to tip the scales of public support in their favor. In too many countries of the region, political leaders seem to be adopting global "worst practices" with respect to civil society, including the adoption of onerous bureaucratic hoops to register organizations and projects, requiring NGOs and journalists to register as foreign agents, and increasingly incarcerating activists and demonstrators. Often, this is done based on the false pretense that the country's security is somehow jeopardized by peaceful civic activity.
Our assistance aims at empowering those who seek to preserve and expand democratic principles, whether in independent media, the justice sector, democratic political parties, or other parts of civil society. Where possible, we seek to engage with government institutions that are open to reform. Where such openings do not exist, we concentrate on the non-governmental sector.
In the current budget climate, we will prioritize programs and activities within the
The budget for our
Fifth and finally, we are also supporting the region in its effort to tackle broader security issues and transnational threats: simmering ethnic tensions; protracted conflicts in Nagorno-Karabakh, Transnistria,
As noted earlier, the Administration's FY 2015 budget request was developed and finalized before the onset of the
In addition to the region's acute and growing "hard" security challenges, we are simultaneously providing assistance to prevent and mitigate other transnational threats. We seek to address these threats through training and targeted equipment provision for police and border protection services, technical assistance on legislation, improving regional and international law enforcement cooperation, and interventions to improve public health. Our security cooperation with
Peace and Security programs represent just over one third of the total FY 2015 request for
As we address these five strategic areas within a constrained budget environment, we are looking at how best to maximize donor resources in order to stretch our assistance. Throughout the region, we work with a very broad range of actors to further U.S. assistance priorities and multiply the effects. The EU in particular is playing a significant role as a donor from the Western Balkans to
Since 2011, the
As Secretary Kerry stated when he testified on the budget request in April, "On issue after issue, people depend on American leadership to make a difference." For over 20 years, our assistance in
I appreciate the opportunity to testify before you today and look forward to answering your questions.
Read this original document at: http://docs.house.gov/meetings/FA/FA14/20140625/102417/HHRG-113-FA14-Wstate-RosenblumD-20140625.pdf
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