Sumario: European Union to commit €22 billion in aid to Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific Islands (Brussels: 1 June 2006)
The ACP-EC Council of Ministers holds its annual meeting on the 1st and 2nd of June in Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea). The participants will decide on a €22 billion aid package of the 10th European Development Fund (EDF) for the period 2008 to 2013. They will also discuss migration and development, trade, climate change and the recently approved EU strategies for Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific Islands.
The ACP-EC Council of Ministers is the highest joint decision making body created by the Cotonou agreement, which associates 77 countries from Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific to the EU.
The meeting in Papua New Guinea comes at a particularly important time, as the EU will present its financial package for the 10th EDF, amounting to €21.966 billion in operational credits for development projects in the ACP countries during the period 2008-2013. The EU's proposals represent a 35% increase from the 9th EDF[1]. The European Commission hopes that the ACP-EC Council will recommend the adoption of the proposal, which must then be ratified in the next 18 months by all EU Member-States in order to take effect.
On top of the development budget of the EDF, ACP countries will also benefit from over €500 million EUR per year for thematic programmes in areas such as human rights, non state organisations, migration, environment and food security. In addition, it will be easier for Member States to co-finance and contribute to projects funded by the 10th EDF.
Prior to the Council of ministers, the European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, Louis Michel, said: "With these amounts we give ourselves the financial means to implement the strategies for Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific Islands. The challenge will now be to become the international reference for aid effectiveness. The programming of the 10th EDF provides this opportunity, an opportunity to promote ownership by our partners, good governance and regional integration through political dialogue."
Migration and development is high on the agenda of the meeting and will be discussed for the first time on ministerial level between the EU and its partners from the ACP. This confirms that migration has become a key element of political dialogue between the EU and developing countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific. Managing migration for the benefit of development is a new priority of EU development assistance for the 10th EDF. The European Commission considers Development Policy to play a central role in managing migration for the benefit of both the countries of origin and the countries of destination.
Participants at the meeting will also discuss trade and development. The 10th EDF will come into action just as the EU and ACP countries enter the last negotiation phase of their Economic Parntership Agreements (EPAs). This provides an opportunity to further the link between trade and development, and the Commission will stress that development and trade must support each other in order to generate economic growth.
[1] increase in nominal terms from the 9th EDF to the 10th EDF on an annual basis: € 3.660 billion under the 10th EDF compared with €2.700 billion under the 9th EDF
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