Commission Communications on Rationalisation and Harmonisation of Development Aid

The package of proposals containing three communications is supposed to improve the efficiency, coherence and impact of development aid. According to Commission’s proposal, the Commission together with the member states will implement nine time-bound actions. Some actions, like the precise mapping of EU assistance through regional donor atlases and the development of a common framework for programming of assistance, may be launched immediately. Other, such as the proposed co-financing mechanism for EU funds, may be implemented within the next four years.

The package has been established in the light of the development policy commitments made last year, such as increasing funding of development cooperation to 0.56% of GNI by 2010. According to an IPS article, some member countries are worried that new proposals would interfere with member countries’ own development cooperation. According to Commissioner Michel, the aim is to join forces and harmonise, not to increase Commission’s power.

Commission Notice:

Commission Communications:

Questions and Answers about the Package of Proposals: