Paul Engel, ECDPM, 21 - 24 January 2008 Presentation made during the Wilton Park conference: European Development Policy: Aid Effectiveness and Key Priorities

1. Policy Coherence for
Development
A shared responsibility indeed
Paul Engel,
Director ECDPM
Wilton Park
European Development Policy: Aid Effectiveness and Key Priorities
Wednesday 23 January 2008

2. PCD and Effectiveness
Aid that is delivered 100% effectively can
easily be rendered ineffective in producing its
outcomes by an incoherent policy framework
PCD is not featured in the Paris Declaration,
but EU Institutions and some Member States
increasingly make the link
PCD means resolving policy incoherencies
as much as creating synergies between
policy actors/areas in favor of development.

3. European PCD commitments
Lisbon Treaty, Article 10a, par 3, General Provisions on
the Union’s External Action: “to ensure consistency
between the different areas of external action and
between these and other policies”.
EU Consensus for Development: “… the EU shall take
account of the objectives of development cooperation
in all policies that it implements which are likely to
affect developing countries, and that these policies
support development objectives..”
Lisbon Treaty, Article 188D: “The Union shall take
account of the objectives of development
cooperation in the policies that it implements which
are likely to affect developing countries.”

4. Whose responsibility it is?
[to take account of development
cooperation objectives]
The EU policy actors: European
Institutions as well as Member States
Across all policy areas, which are likely to
affect developing countries
Both external and internal

5. PCD requires an inclusive approach
A Council/Government level:
European/National Parliament
Policy commitment to PCD
Multi -stakeholder
platforms/councils
B
External pressure: Administrative mechanisms:
i.e. NGOs, Media, 1. To identify & resolve incoherencies
Private sector 2. To strengthen coherence
C
Research, assessments, evidence
which, in many ways, is political…

6. Achieving PCD requires enhanced
cooperation
Broad across-party political support/ lasting
political commitment
Coordination of policy decisions at relevant
levels
Inter-departmental/governmental coordination
for policy design and implementation
Informed by knowledge of likely impacts on
priority interfaces

7. EU attention to PCD is growing
25
20
15
10
5
0
1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
¹Source: www.three-cs.net

8. A recent evaluation of PCD efforts by
EU Institutions and MS concludes¹:
Recognition of the importance of PCD is on the rise;
EU Presidencies have kept it high on the agenda
Member States take a rather piecemeal approach in
their practical measures to promote PCD; a more
inclusive approach is needed to ensure outcomes
Most efforts lack long term strategic thinking on how
broad political support can be sustained
Almost all efforts lack monitoring and evaluation of
results;
A reservoir of practical experience has been built up
but is not systematically shared within the EU.
¹Available at: www.three-cs.net

9. The jury is still out …
Despite clear progress made since the turn of the
Millennium, and strong efforts by European
Institutions and (some) Member States, the
evidence on how committed to PCD the EU as a
whole really is in practice, is as yet inconclusive.
Further integration, across EU actors and across
national and EU policy areas is necessary.

10. What do we need?
A strengthened EC model,
or a strong EU?
An EU that punches according to its weight
An EU that leads globally on development
effectiveness: PCD and Paris processes
An EU that coordinates its efforts to improve
its own PCD and aid effectiveness
An EU that employs its political and cultural
diversity as developmental assets; not as
pretexts for ineffectiveness

11. Thank you!