Why is Europe so slow to react?

"Umoved by this," reads the De Standaard headline over a photo of a young Pakistani half covered in mud. The report in the daily takes issue with the lack of a committed response from Western countries to the catastrophic floods in Pakistan. NGOs are reluctant to launch fundraising campaigns because it appears that public opinion has not been sufficiently mobilised. "The degree of solidarity is determined by four factors" explains the Brussels based newspaper: "timing, the significant scope of the catastrophe, the level of shock that it engenders, and the level of affinity with the people concerned. Pakistan meets just one of these criteria: significant scope." In the UK, theIndependentalso wonders "Why is the world unmoved by the plight of Pakistan?" The British daily compares the amount of international donated to help the flood survivors during the first ten days following the catastrophe – 40 million euros or less than one euro per victim – with the 575 million euros collected for the earthquake in Haïti, and argues that politics have played a major role: in particular, recent statements made by Prime Minister David Cameron, who has accused Pakistan of being "an exporter of terrorism," and " negative publicity over President Asif Ali Zardari's failure to return from his European trip." In view of this context, the Independent points out that we should not be surprised to find that survivors are seeking help from Islamist groups. It is also for this reason that the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Catherine Ashton, has announced that plans for long-term aid to Pakistan will be on the agenda at a meeting of European foreign ministers scheduled for 11 September, reports theEUObserver.