The European Union said today that it would increase aid to Afghanistan but warned that the situation is deteriorating. EU foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg adopted a strategy to better coordinate help to rebuild Afghanistan and increase aid by around 300 million dollars over the next three years. The EU strategy said it would reinforce efforts to train Afghan officials and help create effective state institutions, better coordinate aid efforts and seek better governance by the next Afghan government. It said the aim is for the international community gradually to step back to let Afghans take full responsibility for the security and running of Afghanistan, with international support. The EU strategy aims to build a network of experts from EU states who could be deployed at short notice to Afghanistan and to ensure full deployment of officers for police training mission which has fallen behind schedule. Sweden's Foreign Minister Carl Bildt acknowledged that the EU's current aid plan isn't working well amid widespread corruption and increased violence. He called for a dedicated, credible reform strategy by the Afghan authorities once the elections are over.