Tools and Guidelines
In November 2000, the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers approved the communication of the Commission on the 'European Community's Development Policy'. This sets out a new strategic direction for the programming and management of EC development assistance, based on lessons learned from both EC and other international evaluations of donor funded programmes and projects.
The guiding principles behind this policy include:
1: ownership by developing countries of their own development process; and
2: increased attention to the social dimension of growth and development, including giving priority to poverty reduction.
The main challenges to implementing these principles are:
- effectively focusing programmes and projects on poverty reduction, and
- adjusting intervention modalities to promote 'local' ownership and the effectiveness of aid
In particular, the EC is giving attention to:
- streamlining aid delivery methods
- promoting the use of Sector-Policy Support Programmes and Budgetary Aid
- increasing decentralisation of responsibilities to the EC's Delegations, and
- promoting harmonisation with Member States and other donors