Commission Communication on Good Governance

The European Commission has adopted a communication (30.8.) which proposes enhancing the means used to support governance and calls on the Member States to harmonise their work in this area. The proposed measures to encourage developing countries to step up their reform efforts are enhanced political dialogue, a common approach and a higher level of more effective assistance. Furthermore, an incentive envelope of EUR 3 billion has been set aside for this purpose for the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries, states the Commission press release. According to CIDSE, the international catholic alliance for development policy and cooperation, the communication contradicts the EC’s own definition and principles of governance. CIDSE has published a report about southern civil society’s perspectives on governance. In this report, CIDSE urges the EC to reopen the process and to start a broad international debate on governance which includes civil society.

In its press release CIDSE states that the Commission, while paying lip service to dialogue with partner countries and broad participation in its approach to governance, defined governance profiles and allocation criteria in the 10th European Development Fund programming exercise unilaterally. Moreover, the EC did not truly provide space for a meaningful debate with civil society and offered little time and space for input in the development of the Communication. ”The EC consultation process fails to meet its own governance standards”, stated Hildegard Wipfel of CIDSE in its press release.