Commission takes steps to further improve delivery of aid to ACP countries

The European Commission (EC) has adopted a number of proposals to improve the EU-ACP Partnership Agreement that was signed in Cotonou in June 2000. The proposals are made ahead of negotiations between EU and ACP on a planned revision of the Cotonou agreement to start in May 2004. The main objective of the proposals is to further improve the conditions for an efficient delivery of EC development assistance to ACP countries. Proposals include: (i) increasing flexibility in the allocation of resources to better adapt to new needs and to allow better responsiveness to international initiatives and conflicts; (ii) redefining and decentralising management of development aid funds in ACP countries in order to simplify implementation and strengthen local ownership; (iii) promoting wider regional integration between ACP and non-ACP countries by facilitating co-operation with their regional organisations and by extending the scope of un-tied aid to non-ACP developing countries. The latter should also further boost the effectiveness of aid.

Commissioner for Development Assistance and Humanitarian Aid, Poul Nielson, said: "The Cotonou agreement not only provides a modern and solid foundation on which we are building and developing the EU / ACP partnership. It also serves as an important reference for other EU international agreements. While we have no intentions of challenging this solid structure I see good reasons for using the planned revision of the Cotonou agreement to assess and adjust the mechanics of our co-operation in order to further improve our capacity to deliver efficient and high quality development aid on time to the poor in the ACP countries".

The Commission is proposing to focus the revision of the Cotonou agreement on improving conditions for an efficient delivery of EC development aid to ACP countries. However the Commission is also proposing a number of amendments to the agreement in order to ensure coherence with political commitments made by the EU since 2000, including the fight against terrorism, non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and support to the International Criminal Court.

Finally a number of technical provisions are introduced in order to allow for a possible decision to integrate the European Development Fund into the EU budget as proposed by the Commission in October 2003 (IP/03/1355).

Background

The Cotonou Agreement was concluded in March 2000 for a twenty-year-period. Building on the "acquis" of twenty-five years of EU-ACP relations, the Cotonou Agreement introduced profound changes in many areas of EU-ACP co-operation. At the core of the agreement are principles of ownership of the development strategy by the recipient country, co-operation strategies focused on poverty reduction and a stronger and more systematic involvement of civil society in the planning and delivery of aid.

A revision clause was introduced in order to allow for "reality checks" every five years. Negotiations between the EU and ACP on a first revision of the agreement are due to start in May 2004 and should be completed by the end of February 2005. Based on the proposals from the Commission EU Foreign ministers will before 1 March 2004 have to decide on the issues to be raised by the EU during the negotiations.

€13.5 billion have been allocated under the 9th EDF for development co-operation with ACP countries.


For more information:

http://europa.eu.int/comm/development/index_en.htm

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