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Decisions in one policy area are not made in a vacuum; they are bound to have an influence on other policy sectors as well. Policy coherence simply means that these impacts are taken into consideration in different stages of the decision-making. Policy coherence for development is realised when actions in other policy sectors support, or at least do not collide with the efforts to sustainable development and poverty eradication.
It is not just a question of justice but also of efficiency and common sense. Development aid alone is not enough if at the same time, contradictory policies weaken the position of developing countries.
Policy coherence for development is achieved when activities in other policy sectors support the striving for sustainable development and poverty eradication.
For the first time, policy coherence for development is mentioned as a principle in the Maastricht Treaty (1992) a.k.a. Treaty on European Union. According to the Treaty, all EU policies have to be coherent and conform to the objectives of development policy. The Treaty contains EU development policy framework that is conformable to the current legislation. According to the “European Consensus on Development” (2005), EU has to take into account the objectives of development policy in implementing all the policies which are likely to affect developing countries. The European Consensus on Development is not a part of the EU legislation but it is a high-level policy line that defines the development policy strategy of the European Union. It puts above all the Commission under an obligation to achieve the policy objectives imposed. In the Council Conclusions adopted in May 2005, the commitment to realize the objectives presented in the Commission Communication “Policy Coherence for Development” is affirmed. According to the Communication, EU must monitor and promote policy coherence for development in 12 priority fields including four of the themes of our campaign: trade, environment, security and migration. The EU’s commitment to policy coherence has recently grown stronger but implementation, follow-up and evaluation should be improved. The European Union is the world’s largest donor of official development aid. It is a powerful global actor that has the opportunity to act effectively against poverty and inequality. The EU has shown interest in improving the policy coherence for development. As a next step, the objectives have to be changed into reality.
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