http://www.eubusiness.com <p><strong>Latest business news about the Development Policies of the European Union.</strong></p><p><img src="../trade-acp.jpg" class="image-right" alt="trade and development" height="124" width="128" hspace="10" vspace="5" />Development is at the heart of the EU's external action, along with its foreign, security and trade policies. </p><p>The primary and overarching objective of EU development policy is the eradication of poverty in the context of sustainable development.</p><p><strong>FACT SHEETS</strong></p><p><strong>Key Development Policies</strong></p><ul><li><a href="../EU_Consensus">The European Consensus on Development</a></li><li><a href="../policy_coherence">Policy Coherence for Development</a></li></ul><p><strong>Development Programmes and Financing</strong></p><ul><li><a href="../investing-in-people">'Investing in People' 2007-2013</a></li><li><a href="../environment">Environment and sustainable management of natural resources</a></li><li><a href="../finance">Financing for Development</a></li></ul><p><strong>Useful Links</strong></p><p><a href="http://ec.europa.eu/development/geographical/regionscountries_en.cfm">Geographical Partnerships</a></p><p><a href="../contacts"><strong>EU Development Contacts</strong></p></a><hr /><h2>LATEST NEWS</h2> daily 1 2007-01-02T13:25:17Z http://www.eubusiness.com/topics/development/budget-14-20 The European Commission adopted budget proposals for its external instruments from 2014-2020 on 7 December. They will allow the European Union to fulfil its responsibility on the global stage: fighting poverty and promoting democracy, peace, stability and prosperity. The range of instruments will support developing countries as well as countries in the European neighbourhood and those that are preparing accession into the EU. The Commission is seeking to target its resources where it says they are most needed, where they will have the highest impact while ensuring more flexibility to be able to react swiftly to unforeseen events. This budget will also enable the EU to further reinforce its role on the global stage and promote its interests and values. No publisher eub2 Development Finance 2011-12-07T18:30:52Z Guide http://www.eubusiness.com/topics/development/agenda-for-change The EU will re-prioritise its delivery of aid to developing countries to ensure maximum impact on poverty reduction. EU Commissioner for Development Andris Piebalgs has presented the 'Agenda for Change' of EU Development policy and a new policy for EU budget support. These communications set out a more strategic EU approach to reducing poverty, including through a more targeted allocation of funding. Future EU spending should concentrate on sectors which are key for long-term and inclusive growth, target countries that are in the greatest need of external support and where aid can make a difference. No publisher eub2 Development Agriculture Trade 2011-10-13T13:56:39Z Guide http://www.eubusiness.com/topics/trade/gsp-reform-1 The aim of the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) is to help developing countries by making it easier for them to export their products to the European Union. This is done in the form of reduced tariffs for their goods when entering the EU market. It allows these countries to participate more fully in international trade and generate additional export revenue. It is an autonomous measure by the EU: there is no expectation or requirement that this access be reciprocated by the countries concerned. No publisher eub2 Development Trade 2011-05-10T20:48:13Z Guide http://www.eubusiness.com/funding/regions/regionald-development-fund The ERDF aims to strengthen economic and social cohesion in the European Union by correcting imbalances between its regions. In short, the ERDF finances: direct aid to investments in companies (in particular SMEs) to create sustainable jobs; infrastructures linked notably to research and innovation, telecommunications, environment, energy and transport; financial instruments (capital risk funds, local development funds, etc.) to support regional and local development and to foster cooperation between towns and regions; technical assistance measures. No publisher eub2 Development Regions 2011-04-17T22:09:46Z Link http://www.eubusiness.com/funding/external-relations/development EU loans and grants in the field of development No publisher eub2 Development 2011-04-17T21:40:10Z Link http://www.eubusiness.com/funding/external-relations/cooperation Europe Aid Development and Cooperation. Grants are direct financial contributions from the EU budget or from the European Development Fund. No publisher eub2 Development Aid 2011-04-17T21:36:59Z Link http://www.eubusiness.com/topics/development/eu-policy.10 The European Commission has launched a public consultation on the future of EU Development policy. Faced with the triple challenge of economic, food and environmental crises, but also the generally encouraging economic performance of Developing countries, the Commission wishes to collect views on how the EU can best support developing countries to speed up their progress towards the Millennium Development Goals and beyond. Building on previous achievements, the Commission proposes four main areas for debate, focusing on the impact of EU aid, the facilitation of more inclusive growth, the promotion of sustainable development, and durable results in agriculture and food security. Following the public consultation open to EU and partner countries, the Commission will table a Communication on a Modernised EU Development policy in 2011. The following FAQ presents the background and main issues addressed by the Green Paper. No publisher eub2 Development poverty 2010-11-10T21:46:28Z Guide http://www.eubusiness.com/topics/immigration/acpmigration-obs The African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Observatory on Migration is an initiative of the Secretariat of the ACP Group of States, empowered by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and funded by the European Union with the financial support of Switzerland. Its goal is to establish a network of research institutions and governmental entities dealing with migration in the six regions of the ACP Group of States, namely West Africa, Central Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific. Activities will start in 12 pilot countries (Angola, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Kenya, Lesotho, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Senegal, Tanzania, Timor-Leste and Trinidad and Tobago) but it is foreseen that other countries will join the process. The Observatory will be able to produce much needed data on South-South ACP migration flows for migrants, researchers, civil society, general public, governments and policy-makers. It will rely on the work of research institutions and private researchers from different backgrounds (universities, research centers, public institutions). The total budget for the project is EUR 9,404,776. The European Union contributes with EUR 7,994,060. No publisher eub2 Development immigration 2010-10-22T11:26:26Z Link http://www.eubusiness.com/topics/environ/illegal-logging.02 The European Union on 6 October signed the Voluntary Partnership Agreement with Cameroon, the largest African exporter of timber products to the EU. By July 2012, all shipments of wood products from Cameroon to the EU will be required to carry a license showing that they contain timber and wood products from a legal origin. This agreement expresses a strong joint commitment to eradicate illegal logging and underpins Cameroon’s ongoing reforms towards good governance of the forest sector and development. European consumers, for their part, will have confidence that wood products, such as furniture, imported from Cameroon are of legal origin. No publisher eub2 Development Environment Trade 2010-10-06T22:07:01Z Guide http://www.eubusiness.com/topics/development/mdg-action-plan.159 A twelve-point EU action plan in support of the Millennium Development Goals - European Commission Communication No publisher eub2 Development 2010-09-21T08:39:51Z Book http://www.eubusiness.com/topics/environ/chatham-logging.10 This in-depth study of twelve producer, processing and consumer countries demonstrates that actions taken by governments, civil society and the private sector over the last ten years in response to illegal logging and related trade have been extensive and had a considerable impact. Illegal logging is estimated to have fallen by between 50 and 75 per cent during the last decade in Cameroon, the Brazilian Amazon and Indonesia, while imports of illegally sourced wood to the seven consumer and processing countries studied are down 30 per cent from their peak in 2004. As a result up to 17 million hectares of forest are estimated to have been protected from degradation and at least 1.2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions avoided over the last decade. Alternatively, if the trees saved were legally logged this could bring in US$6.5 billion in additional revenues to the countries concerned. Reducing illegal logging further will require a comprehensive overhaul of government policy and regulation in producer countries. Japan and China must also follow in the footsteps of the US and EU and prohibit the import and sale of illegally sourced wood. To ensure such prohibitions are effective and encourage broader improvements, importing countries also need to expand cooperation with source countries along the lines of the EU's voluntary partnership agreements. It is essential that initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries reinforce the existing response to illegal logging and poor forest governance, rather than distract from it. No publisher eub2 Development Environment Trade 2010-07-15T13:08:41Z Book http://www.eubusiness.com/topics/development/illegal-logging.01 The report "Illegal Logging and Related Trade", prepared by international think tank Chatham House, documents progress made at the global level of combating illegal logging and improving forest governance in developing countries. The study is an attempt to measure global efforts to tackle illegal logging of consumer, processing and wood producing countries. It examines the response and actions taken in countries where illegal logging occurs and also in those countries which import, process and consume illegally sourced wood. In addition to measuring how illegal logging has changed over time, the report shows how attention to the problem has changed and how governments and the private sector have responded. It notably mentions the EU FLEGT agreements as one credible and useful tool. The EU's achievements in this area centre around the EU Action Plan for Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade Action Plan (FLEGT). They include the signature of voluntary agreements with Congo and Ghana, which will ensure that all wood products entering the European Union from these countries carry a licence showing that the wood they contain is of legal origin. No publisher eub2 Development Environment 2010-07-15T13:10:15Z Guide http://www.eubusiness.com/topics/development/cotonou-revised.02 The official ceremony of a signature of the second revised Cotonou Agreement took place in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on 22-23 June 2010 in presence of EU Development Commissioner and representatives of the ACP countries. Changes to the agreement highlight an emphasis on climate change, and regional integration to combat problems affecting neighbouring countries. Other goals include coordinated efforts to maintain food security, and prioritisation of fragile states. Commissioner Piebalgs also inaugurated a street "L'Avenue de L'Europe" next to the EU delegation, and met with Burkina Faso's President, Blaise Compaore. No publisher eub2 Development Africa Trade 2010-06-24T14:52:50Z Guide http://www.eubusiness.com/topics/food/food-facility In order to provide a rapid EU response to soaring food prices in developing countries, a Regulation establishing a 'Food Facility' was adopted by the European Parliament and the Council in December 2008. This new instrument provides for EUR 1 billion funding to be spent over three years, nearly half of which in 2009. No publisher eub2 Development Food & Drink Agriculture 2010-06-15T16:44:04Z Link http://www.eubusiness.com/topics/food/food-facility.02 With more than € 500 million already disbursed and 97 % of funds committed after only one year and a half from its adoption, the € 1 billion EU Food Facility has provided a fast and efficient response in tackling food insecurity. The Commission present today a booklet on the use of the Food Facility. It shows that around 50 million people all over the world are receiving support from the facility and results are starting to show. Faced with an impressive number of high–quality proposals but a limited budget, the European Commission is calling on other donors to help funding projects under the newly launched "Food Facility Auction Floor". No publisher eub2 Development Food & Drink Agriculture 2010-06-15T16:39:36Z Book