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Europe Makes History
The Copenhagen summit
on European Union enlargement has turned out to be the most significant
gathering of European leaders for years.
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Dear
Webreader,
Welcome to EUROPE CALLING section of The Global South, a
Globalom Media production. This monthly e-journal was launched in
March 1999.
EUROPE CALLING is purported as a window on a part of the
world that togther with the United States determines the economic,
industrial and technological aspects of life on the planet Earth.
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union a decade ago and the
dissolution of the socialist/communist bloc in international
relations, Europe's role has become all the more critical in a
world dominated by the United States of America, the only Super
Power.
We invite you to join us in making EUROPE CALLING a success. You
may also like to visit NORTH
AMERICA CALLING, AFRICA
CALLING and ASIA
CALLING. If you are particularly interested in South Asia,
we recommend our sister publication SOUTH
ASIAN OUTLOOK.
Ramesh Jaura
Publisher & Global
Editor
"Europe is a Real Power"
- Interview with
Federal Foreign Minister Fischer on a new world order,
America and the importance of the European Union
in the weekly newspaper
Die Zeit on May 8, 2003
Read
more
Growing and Slowing
Europe’s finance ministers have abandoned
plans to balance their budgets by 2004, after bitter wrangling about the
stability-and-growth pact. The setback comes as the European Commission
announces that ten applicant countries should be ready to join the European
Union in 2004.
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Development
cooperation
EC development cooperation
Organisation
Financial and geographical focus of the assistance
The Cotonou Agreement
The global evaluation of Community assistance
A new policy for development
The need for a more effective organisation for development cooperation
The programme of the Swedish Presidency 2001
The
policy of the European Community in the area of development cooperation
is an important component in the Union’s efforts to reduce poverty in
the world, to prevent conflicts and to promote the integration of the
developing counties in the world economy. Sweden is actively engaged in
making Community assistance more effective and strengthening the role of
the whole EU as a responsible, concerned player in international
cooperation.
European Community development
cooperation
The European Community (EC) has engaged in development cooperation since
it was established in 1957. The first European Development Fund (EDF)
was created in 1958, providing assistance to the former colonies of the
founding member states. The European Commission was given the task of
managing the EDF while the Member States retained their own national
development programmes. Since then EC programmes have been agreed for
all regions of the developing world.
The European Community, through which development assistance is provided,
is the first pillar of the European Union (the other EU pillars being
the Common Foreign and Security Policy and Justice and Home Affairs). As
well as implementing Community aid, the European Commission has the sole
right to put policy proposals to the Member States. The ministers for
development cooperation of the Member States then take decisions in the
Council of Ministers.
Organisation
Within the Commission the work on development cooperation is divided up
as follows: The Directorate-General for Development, headed by
Commissioner Poul Nielson, has both overall responsibility for EC
development cooperation and regional responsibility for the ACP states (the
African, Caribbean and Pacific countries). The Directorate-General for
External Relations, headed by Commissioner Chris Patten, is responsible
for countries in the rest of the world, i.e. in Latin America, Asia,
Central and Eastern Europe and in the Mediterranean region. However,
implementation of development projects, financial assistance and an
independent evaluation service are located in a separate office. The
former SCR (Relex common services) is being restructured into an
independent agency similar to the Swedish International Development
Cooperation Agency (Sida), which is called EuropeAid Cooperation Office.
Financial and geographical focus of the
assistance
EC assistance funding is channelled partly through the regular budget of
the Commission and partly via the EDF. The first EDF was created in 1958
to finance development cooperation with the then colonies of the six
original EC countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.
Assistance to countries in Asia, Latin America, the Mediterranean and
Central and Eastern Europe, is financed from the regular budget of the
Commission.
Asia
EC development cooperation in Asia started in the early 1970s and gained
momentum when the ALA regulation (on Asia and Latin America) was
established in 1981. After modest beginnings there has been a marked
increase in cooperation. It was further strengthened in 1994 when the
Commission adopted a strategy which underlined the intention of the
Community to strengthen the ties between Europe and Asia. In recent
years cooperation has been broadened to include both development and
economic cooperation. In 1999 most EC assistance in Asia comprised
long-term development cooperation with a focus on combating poverty and
promoting sustainable development. Within this framework increased
initiatives have been taken in the areas of environment,
institutionbuilding, and good governance.
Latin America
Development cooperation with Latin America is governed by the ALA
regulation, which also applies to cooperation with countries in Asia.
The programmes include technical–economic cooperation, support to the
indigenous populations, and efforts to strengthen the development of
democracy and respect for human rights. More than half of the total
support goes to countries in Central America. The largest programme in
Central America is the regional programme for reconstruction after the
devastation wreaked by Hurricane Mitch in several countries in October
1998. The largest recipients of EC development assistance in South
America are Peru and Bolivia.
The Mediterranean region
The EU agreed in 1995 to adopt a common policy on the Mediterranean
Region. Much of the EC assistance is regulated in accordance with the
so-called MEDA regulation Through MEDA the EU provides assistance to 12
countries around the Mediterranean (Algeria, Cyprus, Egypt, Israel,
Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey and the
Palestinian Authority). The assistance goes to economic transformation,
strengthening of the socio-economic equality and support for development
of civil society and regional cooperation.
Africa, Caribbean and the Pacific - the
Cotonou Agreement
A new partnership agreement was concluded in 2000 between the EU and the
77 ACP countries. The Cotonou Agreement replaces the fourth Lomé
Convention and covers trade, political and development cooperation
between the European Community and its member states and the ACP
countries. The new agreement is provisionally in effect now, and will
extend for 20 years from its formal entry into force in 2002. The
overriding goal of the agreement is poverty reduction and it contains a
commitment to the 'essential elements' of human rights, democratic
principles and the rule of law, breach of which (or serious corruption)
can lead to consultations or, potentially, suspension from the
agreement. Trade provisions are aimed at helping ACP countries gradually
integrate into the world economy. The agreement includes mechanisms for
in-depth political dialogue between the parties (the EU and the
individual ACP country) in order to contribute to peace, security and
stability and to promote democratic development.
The global evaluation of Community
assistance
A global evaluation of EC development assistance, completed in 1999,
highlighted serious problems. Criticisms concerned the effectiveness,
transparency, and coordination (within the Commission and between the EC
and Member States) of EC aid. Following the evaluation a major process
of reform of EC development assistance has begun, which is complemented
by the wider reform of the whole Commission triggered by the resignation
of the Commission in 1999. Key aspects of the reforms are a new
development policy and improvements to the management of EC aid
programmes.
A new policy for development
Following the global evaluation of EC aid, at the Development Council in
May 1999, development ministers decided that measures must be taken to
increase the effectiveness and impact of EC cooperation. Among the
measures that needed to be taken, the Commission was given the task of
drawing up a proposal for a new policy for the area of development
cooperation and a comprehensive action programme. In November 2000 a new
policy was adopted for Community development cooperation. This supports
internationally agreed policies, including international development
targets and the principles of the comprehensive development framework.
The joint declaration by the Development Council and the Commission
states that the overall objective of EC development co-operation is the
reduction and, ultimately, the elimination of poverty. Six focal areas
are identified for EC development co-operation: trade and development,
regional integration, macro-economic support, food security and
sustainable rural livelihoods, transport and institutional capacity
building. In addition, environmental considerations, respect for human
rights and equality between women and men should be mainstreamed in
development cooperation.
The need for a more effective organisation
for development cooperation
A number of reforms are underway within the Commission to make the
management of EC aid more effective. The Commission intends a greater
delegation of responsibility and to the EU delegations in development
countries, together with improved staff resources. The new Europe Aid Office
will take on new responsibilities, which should prevent some delays in
implementation. And a wholesale revision of the Community's Financial
Regulation should allow the EC to provide more flexible, and timely,
development assistance.
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