Communication from the Council - Guidelines for strengthening operational coordination between the Community and the Member States in the field of development cooperation (Text adopted by the Council on 9 March 1998)
31. 3. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 97/1 I (Information) COUNCIL Guidelines for strengthening operational coordination between the Community and the Member States in the field of development cooperation (Text adopted by the Council on 9 March 1998) (98/C 97/01) 1. In its conclusions of 5 June 1997, the Council considered that operational coordination between the Community and the Member States should be strengthened in all developing countries with which the EU has established cooperation relations on the basis of new guidelines. These new guidelines shall be implemented in a pragmatic way, taking into account local constraints. They should also take account of the 1994 guidelines, the in the pilot lessons phase, and be based on the following principles: the ground, and capacity on learned - coordination activities should be tailored to the specific situation in each country, and in each sector or area of development cooperation, the recipient country, with a view - they should be carried out in close cooperation to with strengthening its capacity to assume its responsiÜ bility for and ownership of its development strategies and programmes and reinforcing the government’s lead role in general aid coordiÜ nation, - EU coordination should be to other existing donor coordination mechanisms at the country level, linked - the coordination activities should ensure a coherent EU input in wider donor coordination mechanisms and consistency with common policy guidelines adopted by the Council, - EU coordination must be undertaken in such a way that it maximises the added value for the beneficiary countries. process in the partner country, while maximising its specific benefits in each individual situation. In this context, the Commission and the Member States should support efforts of the partner country to increasingly take a lead role in their overall aid coorÜ dination. The specific role and modalities of EU coordination, and its input into wider aid coordination mechanisms including other donors, should be jointly determined in each partner country, and for each sector or area of development cooperation. To facilitate this, the representatives of the Commission should undertake, in consultation with the partner country, a joint stocktaking of the situation, in particular with respect to the following areas: the Member States and - the priorities and policies of the partner country for each sector and area of development coopÜ eration, - the policies and activities supported by the Community and the Member States concerned in each of these sectors and areas, - the existence and functioning of coordination mechanisms including other donors, - the role of the partner country in existing coordiÜ nation mechanisms, - the institutional capacity of the partner country to lead aid coordination, - the role of Commission exercise. the Member States and enhanced the coordination the in 2. This implies should be undertaken as part of the overall aid coordination that EU coordination This stocktaking should be regularly updated. C 97/2 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 31. 3. 98 3. On the basis of this stocktaking, the representatives of the Member States and the Community should agree on the modalities of reinforced coordination and make the necessary working arrangements, building on existing EU coordination mechanisms, including at level. These arrangements should aim to cover all cooperation instruments and areas. sectoral 4. In principle, the European the delegation of Commission, working in close conjunction with the Presidency, should initiate and monitor this overall process of strengthening operational on the spot the coordination between Member States, in consultation with, and with the support of the representatives of the Member States. the Community and the situations, representatives By common accord and with due regard to indiÜ vidual the Commission and the Member States could entrust one Member State or the Commission with the task of monitoring the operational coordination in a certain sector or area of development cooperation, in the context of the overall coordination exercise. of representative of In countries where the Commission does not have a the the resident delegation, Presidency should initiate the coordination process. The representatives of the Member States should, by common accord, entrust one Member State with the task of monitoring the process, working in close conjunction with the competent delegation situated in a third country. On the request of a Member State which does not have a resident embassy in a given partner country, the Commission provide delegation information on the results of operational coordiÜ nation. should 5. The modalities of operational coordination between the Member States could the Community and include, in particular: (a) Meetings between representatives of Member States and the EC delegation Such meetings should be held monthly, or as invitation, after consultation required, at the with the Presidency, of the EC delegation, or the Member State having a lead role for a given sector. The objectives of such meetings are to: (i) establish and maintain an up to date overview among participants of the sectoral priorities currently supported and of the on going and planned activities of develÜ opment assistance of the Community and the Member States and to discuss recent developments this regard; experiences and in (ii) identify and address duplication and opporÜ tunities for reinforcement in the activities of the Member States and the Community, with a view to enhancing their complemenÜ tarity, also taking account of the activities of other donors; (iii) discuss, and where possible, adopt a common approach on the coordination and cooperation with other donors for each sector or area of development cooperation, and on the cooperation with the partner country; the Commission (iv) promote a coordinated approach of the Member States and in supporting the sectoral policies adopted by the partner country, and where appropriate, to prepare a coherent input in the develÜ sector opment programmes with the participation of other donors and under the leadership of the partner country; implementation of and (v) exchange information and views on the priorities to be set - based on the needs identified by the partner country - for the programming of the next phase of develÜ opment assistance to be provided by the Member States and the Community, taking account of the differences in timing and procedure. These consultations should be held at a the programming process of each party and should sector be programmes. compatible with stage early very in (b) Exchange of information The Member States and the Commission should keep each other informed about their policies, as well as evaluations, missions and studies and their on going and future activities of develÜ the partner country opment assistance, concerned. Where relevant, such information should be shared with other donors. in To this end, the representatives of the Member States and the Commission on the spot should disseminate, in summary, and whenever possible, in written form, information on their policies and on going or planned aid activities. The information could be facilitated exchange of through a database model, provided by the Commission, which would be offered to the representatives of the Member States and the Commission on the spot. On the occasion of major missions to the country concerned by representatives from the Commission or Member States, briefings and debriefings should be organised. 31. 3. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 97/3 The longer term objective should be to help develop the capacity of the government of the partner country in relation to the exchange and use of information which is relevant to its develÜ opment process, through building local instituÜ tional capacity. (c) Joint studies, analyses and evaluations In sectors or areas where several Member States and the Community are active, studies, analyses and evaluations could increasingly be carried out jointly in cooperation with the partner country and where appropriate, with other donors. increasingly be The partner country should responsible for and take the in public lead expenditure reviews, and, where possible, studies and analyses. (d) Joint programmes Where appropriate, joint programmes could be undertaken, in cooperation with the partner country and, possibly, other donors. Such joint programmes should increasingly, and as far as possible, take the form of sector programmes and ensure a leading role of the government. (e) Aid modalities If necessary, the aid programmes of the Member States concerned, or the Community’s indicative programmes could be adapted, in accordance with the relevant procedures, and in agreement with the partner country, if it becomes apparent that there is significant duplication of efforts, or gaps in their overall activities. Wherever possible, both the Community and the should aim at achieving a Member States progessive harmonisation of procedures, as in particular the format of financing regards proposals, programme implementation procedures. Field coordination should go hand in hand with a symmetric coorÜ dination due to take place at Headquarters’ level. agreements and the 6. The Member States and the Community shall make joint efforts to optimise the functioning of existing aid/donor coordination mechanisms, by ensuring, in particular, beneficiary linkage with government’s own policies at sectoral and general levels; the contribution of these coordination mechÜ anisms to assisting the government in defining and implementing appropriate sectoral policies and sector programmes, and an increasingly active role of the partner country in the aid coordination process. the these mechanisms Where the Commisison and the Member States shall do their utmost to assist them wherever they can, by playing a full part in the process, and supplying all requested information as promptly and fully as possible. already, exist 7. All these coordination be undertaken in such a way that they maximise the added value for the partner countries. activities should 8. The representatives of the Member States and the joint report on the Community shall establish a measures taken and on the progress achieved in strengthening operational EU coordination, in the course of 1999. 9. The Council will examine the general progress achieved on the basis of these guidelines at its meeting in the second half of 1998, and requests the Commission to make a preliminary report to that meeting. implemented, 10. In countries where these guidelines have already been the the Member States and the Commission will advise their authorities of ways in which coordination could be strengthened locally. representatives of 11. Based on the joint reports mentioned in paragraph 8, and the preliminary report referred to in paragraph 9, the Council will examine the possibility of further developing these guidelines