The structure of EU development aid is complex and thought to limit its effectiveness. Institutional reforms are being pushed for to streamline the development of policy and management of funds.
The UK arm of Action for Global Health met with Mikaela Gavas of DFID’s EU Department on July 17th. The purpose of the meeting was to update DFID on AfGH activities and the policy report and discuss DFID’s recently published strategy for working with the EU. It became clear that structural complexities within the EC limit its effectiveness in giving aid. Some examples are listed below:
- AIDCO which oversees development programs carried out by EC delegations does not report to DG-Development where development policy is generated but to DG- External Relations- and therefore policies often do not filter down to the field
- DG-Development manages the European Development Fund, which is where the majority of poverty focussed development money is spent, but it only focusses on Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific
- DG- External Relations controls the main EC development budget but it has a wide geographical and thematic remit and is not very poverty focussed.
Moreover the Lisbon Treaty is looking to implement institutional reform to improve efficiency in delivering aid and some of the develoment related elements may be implemented even if the full Treaty is not accepted. A review of budget structure is currently going on, which includes looking at moving money from the Common Agricultural Policy to focus on other issues including the MDGs. The UK is pushing for one commissioner to oversee development and humanitarian aid (and therefore relations with Africa, Caribbean, Pacific, Asia and Latin America would be managed by the same department).
Filed under: Beyond WECA
