A good number of country strategy papers for the implementation of the 10th European Development Fund in the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries have now been adopted and signed. They are available on EC website at: http://ec.europa.eu/development/how/iqsg/documents_library_en.cfm
A rapid overview of the 31 CSPs that were signed on 9 December 2007 at the occasion of the EU-Africa Lisbon Summit shows that:
- in general, the strategies seem to be more focused on a limited number of priorities (not more than 2 in most cases) than in the case of the 9th EDF.
- Non-state actors are often mentioned but no full and detailed inventory of envisaged support to civil society has been made yet.
- Governance is a focal sector in 12 countries which represent more 39% of the countries.
- Infrastructure (including mainly transport but also the rehabilitation of basic infrastructures in post conflict situations like Liberia and Sierra Leone as well as energy and water infrastructures) is a focal sector in 22 countries (70%). Transport has always been a key sector of the EDF. For the coming 6 years, the focus will be on regional connections with the building of main regional road axes in view of promoting regional integration and trade relations.
- Regional integration and trade is effectively mentioned as a focal sector in 11 cases and most generally combined with transport except in the case of Cameroon and Congo Brazzaville.
- Another important focal sector mentioned in 9 CSPs is rural development, in certain cases combined with agriculture and in others with food security.
- Water and sanitation is also mentioned in 5 CSPs and energy in 3.
- Social sectors are to be supported mainly through general budget support but are however specifically mentioned as a focal sector in 6 cases for education and only 3 cases for health (Burundi, Swaziland, and Zambia).
For 31 countries, however, the CSP is not yet posted on the website and many signatures are still pending. Not all countries are eligible to general budget support, in several cases, sectoral budget support is envisaged for supporting the focal sectors while no general budget support is provided. Source: EU News
Filed under: ACP, Africa, Caribbean, Development, European Union, Publications, Trade
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