€1.6 billion for EU neighbours in 2009, as EU confirms position as world’s top development aid provider

A total of €1.6 billion was committed for the EU’s 17 eastern and southern neighbours in 2009, as the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument entered its third year, according to the 2010 European Aid report.

 

Globally, the EU (27 member states and the European Commission) reconfirmed its position as the foremost provider of development aid in 2009, accounting for more than half of global Official Development Assistance (ODA), or €48.2 billion, the report said. The Commission alone committed €12 billion and disbursed €10 billion.

 

Budget support continues to be an important means of implementing bilateral cooperation to support reforms in the ENPI region, accounting for broadly 69% of all bilateral support in 2009. Total budget support commitments in 2009 for the ENPI region amounted to €597 million with €355 million committed to ENPI South countries and €242 million committed to ENPI East countries.

 

In the ENPI East region most programmes are sector-based and aim to support reforms in health, education, vocational training and water, as well as the increasingly relevant sectors of transport, energy, justice and environment.

 

In the Southern ENPI countries, the main focus was on economic diversification and support for investments and competitiveness, as well as reforms in health, education, environment and public administration. A substantial proportion of this cooperation took the form of sector budget support. In several countries, new resources were made available to support the implementation of their Association Agreement and Action Plans, mainly through Twinning projects.

 

Regional cooperation also plays an important role, the report says: “ENPI programmes for regional cooperation help foster dialogue and cooperation between countries on major issue of mutual interest”. In 2009, more than 70 regional programmes were implemented in the Neighbourhood countries. They targeted key priorities: political dialogue, economic integration, mobility, culture, climate change, energy, transport, youth, gender and education. In the field of local governance, a pilot interregional programme was launched in 2009: sustainable urban development, CIUDAD. The goal is to help local governments address urban development problems in a sustainable manner.

 

The interregional dimension includes two institution-building instruments originally created for the process of EU enlargement: TAIEX and SIGMA, complementing the institutional Twinning instrument, implemented bilaterally. They are now boosting the approximation of local practices with relevant EU legislation and standards. The Neighbourhood Investment Facility (NIF) is one of the tools introduced in the framework of the ENP to strengthen EU support for the economic development of its neighbours. The NIF combines grants with loans provided by European finance institutions, to finance big infrastructure projects and support to small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

 

Regional cooperation with the Mediterranean neighbours in 2009 focused on improving environment, water management and the use of renewable energy through reforms and infrastructure investments. Awareness-raising is also a key component in these programmes.

 

Regional cooperation with eastern European neighbours continued to focus on common challenges such as developing regional markets and infrastructure, management of cross-border water resources and the fight against terrorism. Regional programmes reflect priorities defined under the Baku Initiative for energy and transport, and tackle sustainable management of natural resources, as well as migration and border management.

 

Looking ahead, the report said that on a regional level, the focus of attention would in the South be on initiatives emanating from the Union for the Mediterranean. Renewable energy and climate change will remain top priorities, along with enhancing transport network connections.

 

In the East, the Eastern Partnership will give momentum to the development of a number of flagship initiatives. In addition, emphasis will be on the human dimension of regional cooperation with an important emphasis on culture with the eastern partners. (ENPI Info Centre)

 

Annual Report 2010 on the European Union's development and external assistance policies and their implementation in 2009: full report ; highlights

 

European Commission press release