European Development Fund

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)

This article may require copy editing for minor grammar issues. You can assist by editing it. (October 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

This article may be too technical for most readers to understand. Please help improve it to make it understandable to non-experts, without removing the technical details. (October 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

This article needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (October 2024)

|

(Learn how and when to remove this message)

Fund for European Union aid to other areas

This article is part of a series on

Politics of the European Union

Member states (27)

* Austria
* Belgium
* Bulgaria
* Croatia
* Cyprus
* Czech Republic
* Denmark
* Estonia
* Finland
* France
* Germany
* Greece
* Hungary
* Ireland
* Italy
* Latvia
* Lithuania
* Luxembourg
* Malta
* Netherlands
* Poland
* Portugal
* Romania
* Slovakia
* Slovenia
* Spain
* Sweden

* * *

Candidate countries

* Albania
* Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Georgia
* Moldova
* Montenegro
* North Macedonia
* Serbia
* Ukraine

* * *

Countries with suspended accession negotiations

* Turkey

* * *

Applicant countries

* Kosovo

* * *

* Special territories
* Belgium–Germany relations
* France–Germany relations
* Germany–Netherlands relations
* EU 3
* Enlargement of the European Union
* Withdrawal from the European Union

* * *

Treaties and Declarations

* Schuman Declaration (1950)
* Treaty of Paris (1951)
* Europe Declaration (1951)
* Spaak Report (1956)
* Treaty of Rome (1957)
* Euratom Treaty (1957)
* Merger Treaty (1965)
* Solemn Declaration (1983)
* Single European Act (1986)
* Maastricht Treaty (1992)
* Treaty of Amsterdam (1997)
* Treaty of Nice (2001)
* Berlin Declaration (2007)
* Treaty of Lisbon (2007)
* Article 7
* Article 50

* * *

Opt-outs

* * *

Treaties of accession

1972, 1979, 1985, 1994, 2003, 2005, 2011

* * *

Treaties of succession

1984, 2020

* * *

Other treaties

* Schengen Agreement (1985)
* European Economic Area Agreement (1992)

* * *

Abandoned treaties and agreements

* European Constitution (2004)
* UK membership renegotiation (2015–2016)

Executive institutions

European Council

* President: Costa (PES)
* Parties
* List of meetings

* * *

European Commission

* Von der Leyen Commission
* President: Von der Leyen (EPP)
* Vice Presidents
* College of Commissioners
* Civil Service
* Secretary-General:  Juhansone

Legislative institutions

* Legislative procedure

* * *

Council of the EU

Presidency

Poland

(January–June 2025)

* * *

Configurations

* GAC
* FAC
* ECOFIN
* Eurogroup
* AGRIFISH
* EPSCO
* COMPET
* TTE
* ENVI
* JHA
* EYC

* * *

* Voting
* Secretariat
* Secretary-General: Thérèse Blanchet
* Directorates-general
* Council preparatory bodies
* COREPER
* Council Working Parties

* * *

European Parliament
(Members)

* President: Metsola
* Largest groups
* EPP (Manfred Weber)
* S&D (Iratxe García)
* Member of the European Parliament
* 10th session (2024–2029)
* Bureau
* Vice Presidents
* Quaestor
* Conference

* * *

National parliaments

Judicial institutions

Court of Justice of the EU

* European Court of Justice
* Members
* Advocates General
* Rulings
* General Court

Auditory institutions

European Court of Auditors

* European Court of Auditors

* * *

Other auditory bodies

* Internal Audit Service of the Commission
* Committee on Budgetary Control of the Parliament
* Economic and Financial Affairs configuration of the Council
* Anti-Fraud Office
* Public Prosecutor's Office

European Central Bank

* President Lagarde
* ESCB
* EMU
* Euro banknotes
* Euro coins

Other bodies

European Investment Bank Group

* Investment Bank
* Investment Fund
* EIB Institute

* * *

European Stability Mechanism

* European Stability Mechanism

* * *

European University Institute

* European University Institute

* * *

Unified Patent Court

* Unified Patent Court

* * *

Agencies, decentralised independent bodies and joint undertakings

* Decentralised agencies of the EU
* Single market agencies
* CFSP agencies
* AFSC agencies
* ESFS European Supervisory Authorities
* SRM bodies
* Executive agencies of the EU
* Euratom agencies
* Decentralised independent bodies of the EU
* European Institute of Innovation and Technology
* European Public Prosecutor's Office
* Corporate bodies of the EU
* European Data Protection Board
* Authority for European Political Parties and European Political Foundations
* Joint undertakings
* of the EU
* of the Euratom

* * *

Other independent bodies

* European Data Protection Supervisor
* European Ombudsman

* * *

Advisory bodies

* European Committee of the Regions
* European Economic and Social Committee
* Political and Security Committee
* European Union Military Committee
* EU/ESA Space Council

* * *

Inter-institutional bodies

* Publications Office of the European Union
* European External Action Service
* European Personnel Selection Office
* Anti-Fraud Office
* European Administrative School

Euratom

Euratom members

* Austria
* Belgium
* Bulgaria
* Croatia
* Cyprus
* Czech Republic
* Denmark
* Estonia
* Finland
* France
* Germany
* Greece
* Hungary
* Ireland
* Italy
* Latvia
* Lithuania
* Luxembourg
* Malta
* Netherlands
* Poland
* Portugal
* Romania
* Slovakia
* Slovenia
* Spain
* Sweden

* * *

Associated states

* Switzerland
* United Kingdom

* * *

* Nuclear power in the European Union

Euratom since 1 January 2021

Economic and Monetary Union

Eurozone members

* Austria
* Belgium
* Croatia
* Cyprus
* Estonia
* Finland
* France
* Germany
* Greece
* Ireland
* Italy
* Latvia
* Lithuania
* Luxembourg
* Malta
* Netherlands
* Portugal
* Slovakia
* Slovenia
* Spain

* * *

Eurogroup

* President
* Paschal Donohoe

* * *

Other currencies in use

* Bulgarian lev
* Czech koruna
* Danish krone
* Hungarian forint
* Polish złoty
* Romanian leu
* Swedish krona

* * *

* ERM II
* Enlargement of the eurozone

* * *

Non Euro countries relationship to Euro

* Bulgaria
* Czechia
* Denmark
* Hungary
* Poland
* Sweden
* Romania

Eurozone since 2015

Schengen Area

* Austria
* Belgium
* Bulgaria
* Croatia
* Czech Republic
* Denmark
* Estonia
* Finland
* France
* Germany
* Greece
* Hungary
* Italy
* Latvia
* Lithuania
* Luxembourg
* Malta
* Netherlands
* Poland
* Portugal
* Romania
* Slovakia
* Slovenia
* Spain
* Sweden

* * *

Non-EU members

* Iceland
* Liechtenstein
* Norway
* Switzerland

* * *

* Prüm Convention
* Schengen Information System
* Visa Information System
* Visa policy of the Schengen Area

* * *

Non-Schengen area EU member states

* Cyprus
* Ireland (Opt-out)

Schengen Area from January 2023

European Economic Area

EEA members

* Austria
* Belgium
* Bulgaria
* Croatia
* Cyprus
* Czech Republic
* Denmark
* Estonia
* Finland
* France
* Germany
* Greece
* Hungary
* Ireland
* Italy
* Latvia
* Lithuania
* Luxembourg
* Malta
* Netherlands
* Poland
* Portugal
* Romania
* Slovakia
* Slovenia
* Spain
* Sweden

* * *

Non-EU members

* Iceland
* Liechtenstein
* Norway

* * *

Topics

* EEA Joint Committee
* EEA National Identity cards
* Microstates and the European Union

European Economic Area

Elections

* Elections to the European Parliament
* European parties
* European foundations
* Political groups of the European Parliament
* Spitzenkandidat
* Constituencies
* Apportionment
* Referendums related to the EU

* * *

European elections

* 1979
* 1984
* 1989
* 1994
* 1999
* 2004
* 2009
* 2014
* 2019
* 2024 (latest election)

* * *

Elections in EU member states

* Austria
* Belgium
* Bulgaria
* Croatia
* Cyprus
* Czech Republic
* Denmark
* Estonia
* Finland
* France
* Germany
* Greece
* Hungary
* Ireland
* Italy
* Latvia
* Lithuania
* Luxembourg
* Malta
* Netherlands
* Poland
* Portugal
* Romania
* Slovakia
* Slovenia
* Spain
* Sweden

Law

* Acquis
* Primacy (ECJ Case 6/64)
* Subsidiarity
* Regulation
* Directive
* Decision
* Recommendation
* Fundamental Rights

Policies and issues

* Budget
* Customs Union
* Free Trade Agreements
* European Single Market
* Area of FS&J
* Policies
* Agricultural
* Energy
* Fisheries
* Regional
* Citizenship
* Passports of the European Union
* Identity
* Pro-Europeanism
* Euroscepticism
* European banking union
* European Banking Supervision
* Single Resolution Mechanism
* Capital Markets Union
* European System of Financial Supervision
* Institutional seats of the European Union
* Integration
* Supranationalism
* European Federation
* Multi-speed Europe
* Enhanced cooperation

Foreign relations

High Representative

* Kaja Kallas

* * *

* Ext. Action Service
* Foreign Policy
* Defence Policy

* * *

Foreign relations of EU member states

* Austria
* Belgium
* Bulgaria
* Croatia
* Cyprus
* Czech Republic
* Denmark
* Estonia
* Finland
* France
* Germany
* Greece
* Hungary
* Ireland
* Italy
* Latvia
* Lithuania
* Luxembourg
* Malta
* Netherlands
* Poland
* Portugal
* Romania
* Slovakia
* Slovenia
* Spain
* Sweden

* * *

* Argentina–European Union relations
* Armenia–European Union relations
* Australia–European Union relations
* Brazil–European Union relations
* Canada–European Union relations
* China–European Union relations
* European Union–NATO relations
* Georgia–European Union relations
* Iceland–European Union relations
* Kazakhstan–European Union relations
* Japan–European Union relations
* Mexico–European Union relations
* Moldova–European Union relations
* Norway–European Union relations
* Russia–European Union relations
* Switzerland–European Union relations
* Turkey–European Union relations
* Ukraine–European Union relations
* United Kingdom–European Union relations (History)
* Post-Brexit United Kingdom relations with the European Union
* Brexit
* United States–European Union relations

* * *

* Common Travel Area (Ireland)
* Microstates and the European Union
* European Union and the United Nations
* European Union Association Agreement
* European Neighbourhood Policy
* Eastern Partnership
* Euronest Parliamentary Assembly

* * *

* G7
* G20

Defunct bodies

* European Communities (1958–1993)

European Coal and Steel Community
European Economic Community
* European Community
* Western European Union
* Convention on the Future of Europe

European Union portal

* Other countries

* v
* t
* e

The European Development Fund (EDF) was the main instrument for European Union (EU) aid for development cooperation in Africa, the Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP Group) countries and the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT). Funding was provided by voluntary donations by EU member states.[1] Until 2020 the EDF was subject to its own financial rules and procedures, and was managed by the European Commission (EC) and the European Investment Bank.[2] The EDF has been incorporated into the EU's general budget as of the 2021–2027 multi-annual financial framework.

Articles 131 and 136 of the 1957 Treaty of Rome provided for its creation with a view to granting technical and financial assistance to African countries that were still colonised at that time and with which certain countries had historical links. Usually lasting 6 years, each EDF lays out EU assistance to both individual countries and regions as a whole.

## Funding

[edit]

Until its incorporation into the EU's general budget in 2021, the EDF was funded outside the EU budget by the EU Member States on the basis of financial payments related to specific contribution shares, or "keys". The Member State contributions keys were subject to negotiation. The EDF was the only EU policy instrument financed through a specific key that was different from the EU budget key, reflecting the comparative interests of individual Member States.[2]

There was a debate on whether to 'budgetise' the EDF.[1] However, in the Communication A budget for Europe 2020, the European Commission underlined that it was not appropriate at the time to propose that the EDF be integrated into the EU budget.[2] The perceived advantages included:[1]

* contributions would have been based on GNI and this may have increased the voluntary contributions
* the harmonisation of EU budget and EDF administration might have decreased administration costs and increased the effectiveness of the aid
* 20% of aid to the ACP countries already originates from the EU budget
* an all-ACP geographic strategy was no longer relevant as programmes are more localised to regions or country-level
* there would have been increased democratic control and parliamentary scrutiny

The perceived disadvantages were that:[1]

* 90% of EDF resources reached low-income countries as opposed to less than 40% of aid from the EU budget development instruments
* a loss of aid predictability and aid quality as the EU budget is annual, unlike the 6-year budget of the EDF

In 2005, the EU and its Member States agreed to achieve a collective level of ODA of 0.7% of GNI by 2015 and an interim target of 0.56% by 2010, with differentiated intermediate targets for those EU Member States which had recently joined the Union. On 23 May 2011, EU ministers responsible for development cooperation gathered to take stock of progress made and concluded that additional efforts would be needed to close an estimated gap of €50 billion to reach the self-imposed collective EU target of 0.7% by 2015.[2]

By 2015, the EU had not reached 0.7% of GNI, though the commitment to this target was recently reaffirmed. The commitment held no deadline. Concord, the European confederation for relief and development, described the pledge as "vague and non-binding" and said 2020 should be the new deadline.[3]

The EDF has been incorporated into the EU's general budget as of the 2021–2027 multi-annual financial framework.

## Agenda for Change

[edit]

The European Commission's development strategy – Agenda for Change – puts ‘inclusive and sustainable growth for human development’ at its centre. Adopted in 2011, it adopted 2 reforms designed to make its development policy both more strategic and more targeted. The Agenda for Change made new policies and rules for budget support. The three main elements of this Agenda were:

* Targeting and concentrating aid[4]
* Budget support (or 'State Building Contracts[5] in fragile states)
* Other reforms for effectiveness – joint programming, common results framework, innovative financing (such as blending loans and grants[6]), and Policy Coherence for Development

## 10th EDF 2008–2013

[edit]

The 10th EDF from 2008 to 2013 has a budget of €22.7 billion.[1] This represents about 30% of EU spending on development cooperation aid, with the remainder coming directly from the EU budget.[1]

The budget of the 10th EDF can be broken down as follows:[7]

* €21 966 million to the ACP countries (97% of the total),
* €17 766 million to the national and regional indicative programmes (81% of the ACP total),
* €2 700 million to intra-ACP and intra-regional cooperation (12% of the ACP total),
* €1 500 million to Investment Facilities (7% of the ACP total).
* €286 million to the OCTs (1% of the total),
* €430 million to the commission as support expenditure for programming and implementation of the EDF (2% of the total).

## 11th EDF 2014–2020

[edit]

The 11th EDF covers 2014 to 2020. This one-year extension compared to the 10th EDF allowed the end of the 11th EDF to coincide with the expiration of the Cotonou Agreement in 2020 and the EU budget period.[2]

The EU is currently implementing its 11th European Development Fund for 2014 to 2020, with an aid budget of €30.5 billion for many of the ACP countries and Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs), covering both national and regional programmes. Effectively programming the European Development Fund (EDF) is a major political, policy and bureaucratic challenge, involving multiple stakeholders, namely the European Commission (EC), the European External Action Service (EEAS), 28 EU member states, the European Parliament, 74 governments from the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of states and domestic accountability actors.

Understanding the magnitude of the 11th EDF programming challenge is critical for three reasons:

1. The 11th EDF unfolds in a radically changed global context for development cooperation, as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were agreed in September 2015.
2. The 11th EDF is the last before the Cotonou Partnership Agreement (CPA) between the EU and the countries of the ACP expires in 2020.[8]
3. Programming and implementing the 11th EDF is a critical test of EU institutions that deal with external action, and it tests the ability of EU development policy to achieve high-impact aid, at a time when showing 'value for money' is a high political priority at a time when many European governments follow a policy of fiscal austerity.

## After 2021

[edit]

The EDF has been superseded by the Global Europe instrument, which is integrated into the 2021–2027 multi-annual financial framework of the EU. For the European Parliament, that makes a chance for a greater say in how these funds are distributed.[9]

## Critics

[edit]

Independent research by the European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM), a think tank based in Maastricht (The Netherlands), shows that the EU has ensured the effective translation into practice of two key policy commitments of the 'Agenda for Change' – namely a more focused strategy for less developed countries (LDCs) and low-income countries (LICs), and the concentration of EU aid on a limited number of sectors and policy priorities. Their research found that the high degree of compliance was achieved "through top-level support and tight control from headquarters".[10]

While the principles of the 'Agenda for Change' appear to have been followed, ECDPM showed that in many countries initial programming proposals based on in-country consultations, managed by EU Delegations, were then superseded by the choices of EU headquarters in Brussels. Although the 11th EDF is closely aligned with national development plans, there is evidence that this top-down approach to programming has led to a significant erosion of key aid and development effectiveness principles, in particular country ownership.[10]

## See also

[edit]

* ACP-EU Development Cooperation
* ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly
* The Courier – a former magazine of Africa-Caribbean-Pacific and European Union cooperation and relations
* Development Cooperation Instrument
* EuropeAid Co-Operation Office

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f Mikaela Gavas 2010. Financing European development cooperation: the Financial Perspectives 2014–2020. Archived March 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine London: Overseas Development Institute
2. ^ a b c d e Kilnes, U., N. Keijzer, J. van Seters and A. Sherriff More or less? A financial analysis of the proposed 11th European Development Fund (ECDPM Briefing Note 29). Maastricht: European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM)
3. ^ Clár Ní Chonghaile (June 2015). "EU draws fire for failing to set date for 0.7% aid target". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
4. ^ "Changes in the EU's "Agenda for Change"?". ECDPM. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
5. ^ "Analysis of the EU's State Building Contracts – ECDPM". ECDPM. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
6. ^ "Blending Loans Grants Development Effective Mix EU? – ECDPM". ECDPM. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
7. ^ "European Development Fund (EDF)". European Commission. Archived from the original on 2 November 2011. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
8. ^ "Dossier: The Future of ACP-EU Relations Post-2020 – ECDPM". ECDPM. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
9. ^ Niles Keijzer, Drifting towards exhaustion? Historical institutionalist perspectives on recent efforts to modernise the EU's partnerships with African states, in:Journal of Contemporary European Research, Vol.16, issue 3 (2020).
10. ^ a b "Programming the 11th EDF – an independent analysis". ECDPM. Retrieved 21 May 2016.

## External links

[edit]

* European Commission: European Development Fund (EDF)
* Europa: Summaries of EU legislation: European Development Fund
* EC Aid to Africa African Voices in Europe

* v
* t
* e

Politics of Europe

Sovereign states|

* Albania
* Andorra
* Armenia
* Austria
* Azerbaijan
* Belarus
* Belgium
* Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Bulgaria
* Croatia
* Cyprus
* Czech Republic
* Denmark
* Estonia
* Finland
* France
* Georgia
* Germany
* Greece
* Hungary
* Iceland
* Ireland
*   * Italy
* Kazakhstan
* Latvia
* Liechtenstein
* Lithuania
* Luxembourg
* Malta
* Moldova
* Monaco
* Montenegro
* Netherlands
* North Macedonia
* Norway
* Poland
* Portugal
* Romania
* Russia
* San Marino
* Serbia
* Slovakia
* Slovenia
* Spain
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* Turkey
* Ukraine
* United Kingdom
* England
* Northern Ireland
* Scotland
* Wales
* Vatican City

States with limited
recognition|

* Abkhazia
* Kosovo
* Northern Cyprus
* South Ossetia
* Transnistria

Dependencies and
other entities|

* Åland
* Faroe Islands
* Gibraltar
* Guernsey
* Isle of Man
* Jersey
* Svalbard

Other entities|

* European Union

* v
* t
* e

Administration of the European Commission

* Table of European Commission Directorates-General and Services
* DG = Directorate-General

Civil Service|

* Directorates-General
* Cabinets
* Comitology
* EPSO
* Civil Service Tribunal

Policy DGs|

* Agriculture and Rural Development
* Climate Action
* Communications Networks, Content and Technology
* Competition
* Defence Industry and Space
* Economic and Financial Affairs
* Education and Culture
* Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Inclusion
* Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs
* Environment
* Health and Food Safety
* Migration and Home Affairs
* Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union
* Joint Research Centre
* Justice and Consumers
* Maritime Affairs and Fisheries
* Regional and Urban Policy
* Research and Innovation
* Taxation and Customs Union
* Mobility and Transport
* Energy

External DGs|

* Service for Foreign Policy Instruments
* Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations
* Trade
* International Cooperation and Development
* European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations

General Services|

* Communication
* Eurostat
* HERA
* OLAF
* Publications
* Secretariat-General
* Secretary-General
* Europe by Satellite
* Structural Reform Support Service

Internal Services|

* Budget
* European Political Strategy Centre
* Digital Services
* Data Protection Officer
* Infrastructures and Logistics (Brussels & Luxembourg)
* Internal Audit Service
* Interpretation
* Legal Service
* PMO
* Human Resources and Security
* Translation

Buildings|

* Berlaymont
* Breydel
* Charlemagne
* Convent Van Maerlant
* Euroforum
* Jean Monnet 2
* Joseph Bech
* Madou Plaza Tower
* Missions
* Triangle building

* European Union portal

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF

National|

* Germany
* United States
* Czech Republic
* Israel

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template