Delivering on commitments
EU response to world developments in 201
- A more strategic approach: the Agenda for Change & the reform of budget support
- Making a difference: an increased budget and new instruments
- Progress in achieving the MDGs
- Focussing on poverty
- Strengthening human rights and good governance
- Mainstreaming of cross–cutting issues
- Cooperation with non-state actors and local authorities
- Aid effectiveness and financing for development
- Coherence between development and other policies
- Cooperation with the international donor community
They were also reflected in the new EU development agenda (Agenda for Change). Internationally, the EU continued to support and play a key role in the Aid Effectiveness Working Group hosted by the OECD DAC, focusing in particular on developing its policies for the 4th High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness (Busan, 29 November–December 1, 2011) – a key development political event in 2011.
Implementation: geographic overview
European Neighbourhood & Russia
The twinning instrument continued to be very successful and had one of the highest implementation rates in the region. An SME policy performance study is being carried out in the Eastern Partnership countries by the OECD with the support of the EU.
Middle East
39 five permanent members of the UN Security Council (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States). EU support for nation-building, governance (including financial and economic governance) and human rights – a key component of the National Framework Plan will be crucial in the coming years.
Sub-Saharan Africa
This has been instrumental in the significant progress Ethiopia has made towards many of the MDGs. There were greater challenges in 2011 regarding the implementation of budget support programs in the region.
South Africa
The increase in unemployment in recent years is likely to have a negative impact on the MDGs in the future. The EU is supporting South Africa to achieve the MDGs in the areas of employment, education and health, as well as through a new program to help national development policy address work-related issues and improved service delivery. In 2011, the Commission approved a general budget support program for South Africa – the national development strategy support programme, building on the successful implementation of a range of sectoral budget support interventions, and acknowledging the mid-term review conclusions which recommended the consolidation of such programmes. (NDSP).
The EU will continue to implement existing programs in the fields of employment, capacity development, governance, regional cooperation and dialogue.
Intra-ACP programmes
In accordance with Part Four of the EU Treaty, the OCTs are closely linked to the EU. In 2011, the Commission held several meetings with the OCTs and their related Member States and continued the political dialogue on the modernization of the association. During the annual OCT-EU Forum in March 2011, the OCTs and the four EU Member States concerned submitted a jointly prepared document to the Commission on the future of the OCT's association with the EU.
In 2011, the Commission completed the programming process for New Caledonia with the approval and signature of the programming document providing for sector budget support.
Latin America
Security continued to be one of the main priorities on the EU's agenda with the LAC region. Some of the developing economies in the region are not only aid recipients, but are increasingly becoming aid providers. In Paraguay, a €31 million program was approved to improve the economic inclusion of the poorest and most vulnerable in the population.
In 2011, his company received the award from the President of the Republic of Peru for the best SME in the crafts category.
Caribbean
Significant progress was made in human rights law in Pakistan in 2011, although the implementation of changes requires close monitoring by the EU. The EU Civilian Police Training Project will support the training and recruitment components of the ongoing projects. In 2011, the EU institutions negotiated the amendment of the ICI Regulation – the so-called ICI plus – which was published in December 2011 and will provide a legal basis for cooperation activities with industrialized countries and other high-income countries in 2012.
In line with the "Agenda for Change", the EU will apply the principle of differentiation to its development cooperation, including with countries in Asia, with the aim of focusing on the countries and populations most in need.
Central Asia
In Kyrgyzstan, the EU has become co-chair of a wider group of donors – the Coordination Council of Development Partners – which meets monthly. The EU also supports the development and modernization of public administration in Turkmenistan. The EU-Central Asia Education/Legal Platform was launched in 2011 under the European Education Initiative for Central Asia.
The EU also supports wider dialogue with Central Asia in the framework of the EU-Central Asia Rule of Law Initiative.
Pacific
The EU's commitment to poverty reduction in the region will continue to focus on the two poorest countries, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The EU has both increased additional climate change funding for the Pacific and continued to support efforts to become eligible for budget support across the region, where aid delivered through projects tends to overburden small administrations. Finally, the President of the Commission and the EU Commissioner for Climate Action participated in the Pacific Island Forum's annual meeting on the occasion of the institution's 40th anniversary, confirming the EU's long-term partnership and support for the region's sustainable development and adaptation to and mitigation of climate change.
Papua New Guinea's absorptive capacity has reached its limit; which resulted in a 20% reduction in the funds allocated by the EU to the country for the period 2008-2013.
Implementation: thematic overview
The thematic programmes
- Investing in People
- Non-State actors and local authorities in development
- Migration and asylum
- Environment, climate change and sustainable development
- Food security
2011 also saw the development of a more strategic approach to the Commission's services in relation to the role of local authorities. The second half of the TPMA with the 2011-2013 multi-year strategy document was approved in the first semester of 2011. The scope of the program has been broadened, compared to the first phase, to cover almost all areas covered by the global approach to migration. .
The total amount of the Commission's portfolio dedicated to sustainable development is thus considerably higher.
Democracy and human rights
General training on electoral assistance programs implemented by UNDP in the context of the SPA between the UN and the EU was also organized at the beginning of 2011. The EU allocated €7 million to a joint donor basket fund for electoral assistance (managed by the UNDP). Key findings and recommendations from the EU Election Expert Mission (EEM) will feed into the exercise.
Particularly through the IfS and the EIDHR, the EU has been quick to provide support to political parties in Tunisia and Egypt in the aftermath of the popular uprisings.
Stability
- Crisis response and preparedness
- Global and regional trans-border challenges
The Commission has also earmarked €15 million for pre- and post-crisis preparedness and related capacity building under the so-called Peacebuilding Partnership (PbP) under the Instrument for Stability. A total of €21.5 million was allocated to up to four new regional centers of excellence for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats in cooperation with the UN and other major donors in the Middle East, the Mediterranean basin, the South Caucasus and Central Asia. Given the deteriorating security situation in the Sahel, this is timely and part of the EU's wider efforts to support this unstable region.
Across the western Indian Ocean, IfS supports a €500,000 International Maritime Organization (IOM) project in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore to increase the preparedness and response capabilities of coastal states against incidents involving hazardous and harmful substances.
Nuclear safety
Cooperation with the IAEA has been extended to support thematic technical activities at the country or regional level, aimed at further development of safety culture, capacity building of national nuclear safety regulators and safety of research reactors. This aims to improve the nuclear safety regulatory regime, as well as strengthen China's preparedness for major accidents and help develop a strategy for managing radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel. Social infrastructures: education, health, water, government and civil society, infrastructure and other economic services: transport, communication, energy, other services.
Humanitarian assistance
The Commission also pays particular attention to forgotten crises that have been neglected or overlooked by others. The Commission launched new DIPECHO programs in South Asia, South America, the Pacific and the Caribbean. Although the EU Civil Protection Mechanism plays an important role in supporting, coordinating and complementing the process of mutual assistance, the Commission proposes to move to a system that is pre-planned and immediate.
The Commission also paid special attention to selected horizontal policy priorities in accordance with the commitments of the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid58 and its action plan.
Macro-financial assistance
The pilot project on FSTP support to fragile states serves as an example of the focus of LRRD in relation to other areas of intervention, effectively integrating into other sectors and programs (both geographical and thematic) as needed. In terms of macro-financial assistance for Moldova, the Commission implemented the second tranche in September 2011, consisting of grants in the amount of EUR 20 million. The implementation of the MFA for Ukraine approved in 2010 – together with funds available from the previous operation approved in 2002, amounting to EUR 610 million in loans – was delayed due to the lack of agreement with the Ukrainian authorities on some of the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding.
The first tranche of the MFA operation for Bosnia and Herzegovina, approved in 2009 (for an amount of up to EUR 100 million in loans), has not been disbursed so far because one of the conditions of the first tranche was not met .
Managing aid for results
- Monitoring project performance
- Performance measurement: Results Oriented Monitoring (ROM)
- Evaluation: Review of the work carried out
- Lessons learned
- Aid delivery modalities
- Developments in aid delivery modalities and channels
- Budget support and public finance
- Blending of grants and loans/innovative financing
- Progress in aid management
- Progress on qualitative issues in aid management
- Simplification of procedures
- Communication & transparency
- Communication and visibility
- Transparency
EU support for management and delivery mechanisms has been less conducive to the achievement of the cooperation's goals. Examination of legal instruments (DCI, ENPI, EIDHR, IfS, INSC and ICI): The logic of the objectives of the instruments could be significantly improved. The approval of the Budget Support Communication setting out a new policy (for more details, see Chapter 1) was the culmination of 2011.
The approval of the new budget support announcement put a new policy in place (for more details see Chapter 1).
Financial Annex
Introduction to financial tables
These political priorities include e.g. the further rollout of the EU's humanitarian food aid policy. The negotiations on the modernization of the food aid convention took place against this background. The group started its work in November 2011 with the aim of advising the Commission on proposals for the establishment of the EU platform for external cooperation and development.
The proposals are fully in line with, and take full advantage of, the simplification proposals made by the Commission for the revision of the Financial Regulation.
Financial tables
External aid financed by the EU's general budget and the European Development Fund (EDF) managed by EuropeAid. Distribution by country/region of external aid financed by the general EU budget and the European Development Fund (EDF) in 2011. Distribution by sector of official development assistance (ODA) financed by the general EU budget and the European Development Fund (EDF) in 2011 .
Breakdown by sector and region of external aid financed from the general EU budget managed by EuropeAid and the European Development Fund (EDF).