The Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG International Partnerships or DG INTPA) is the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body ...

department responsible for international development policy. It operates under the authority of the European Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen. The European Commission disbursed 14.4 billion euros in

official development assistance Official development assistance (ODA) is a category used by the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to measure foreign aid. The DAC first adopted the concept in 1969. It i ...

(ODA) in 2021 (0.21% of EU GNI). This was slightly above the 13.7 billion disbursed by the development ministry of Germany, the EU's biggest ODA donor. As a whole, the EU and its member states provided ODA of 70.2 billion euros (0.49% of EU GNI, below the 0.7% target). The EU has a strong preference for bilateral financing (provision of aid to recipient governments, as opposed to NGOs), with 99% of EUI (DG INTPA + EIB) funds going to partner country governments.

History

The Directorate-General for Development and Cooperation – EuropeAid was formed on 1 January 2011 following the merger of the EuropeAid Cooperation Office (AIDCO) with the Directorate-General for Development and Relations with African, Caribbean and Pacific States (DEV). AIDCO had been founded on 1 January 2001 with the mission of implementing the EU external aid programmes around the world. At that time, DG DEV and the Directorate-General for External Relations (RELEX) were responsible for policy and programming. Following the creation of EuropeAid in 2011, Director-General Fokion Fotiadis was responsible for the overall realisation of the DG's mission, which consists in the programming and implementation of the

's external aid instruments financed by the European Union budget and the

European Development Fund Global Europe, officially the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI), is the financial arm of the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union, which provides funding for the European Neighbourho ...

s. In November 2013, Fernando Frutuoso de Melo succeeded Fokion Fotiadis as Director-General of the Directorate-General. EuropeAid focused on maximising the value and impact of aid funding by making sure support was provided in a manner which complied with EU development objectives and the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...

Millennium Development Goals The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were eight international development goals for the year 2015 that had been established following the Millennium Summit of the United Nations in 2000, following the adoption of the United Nations Millenn ...

in a speedy and accountable fashion. Effective implementation and delivery of aid also helps the Commission and the EU as a whole to attain a higher profile on the world stage. The

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been ...

is the world's largest development aid donor. DG Development and Cooperation – EuropeAid was reformed into current form on 1 January 2015. As of 16 January 2021, the DG International Cooperation and Development (DEVCO) became DG International Partnerships (INTPA).

Development policy

DG International Partnerships formulates the European Union's development policy abroad. Its mission is to help reduce and ultimately eradicate poverty in developing countries through the promotion of sustainable development,

democracy Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which people, the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation ("direct democracy"), or to choo ...

, peace and security. It works on policy formulation at a global and sectoral level. The main intervention areas covered are: trade and regional integration, environment and the sustainable management of natural resources, infrastructure, communications and transport, water and energy, rural development, governance, democracy and human rights, peace and security, human development, social cohesion and employment. EU development action is based on the European Consensus on Development, which was endorsed on 20 December 2005 by EU Member States, the Council, the European Parliament and the Commission.

From policy to action

When implementing projects, it takes account of EU policy strategies and long-term programmes for the delivery of aid. It translates policies into practical actions and develops new ways of delivering aid, such as budget support and through sectoral approaches. It also issues guidelines and makes evaluations of aid implementation. In addition, it is responsible for the proper management of funds and must use clear and transparent tendering and contracting procedures. The programming cycle and responsibilities have evolved with the creation of the

European External Action Service The European External Action Service (EEAS) is the diplomatic service and combined foreign and defence ministry of the European Union (EU). The EEAS is led by the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (HR/VP), who is a ...

EEAS. The EEAS has a key role in the programming of geographic instruments with EuropeAid and the EU Delegations. Directorate-General is responsible for all the steps of an aid delivery project: after identifying needs, it carries out feasibility studies and prepares all the necessary financial decisions and controls. It then moves on to drawing up the required tendering, monitoring and evaluation procedures. EuropeAid often publishes these evaluations in its website, aiming to improve management, in particular by taking into account the lessons of past public actions and to reinforce capacity to account for, and to ensure, better transparency. This institution is a decentralised organisation. Two out of three Commission staff members working on aid implementation are based in the field. That is why most of the preparatory and implementation work is done through the EU Delegations in the beneficiary countries. Directorate-General is made up of more than 43 units divided into nine directorates attached to the Director General.

Promoting joint effort

To ensure coherence, complementarity and coordination in implementing external assistance programmes worldwide, DG INTPA works in close collaboration with its various partners. The overall aim is to make external aid more effective.

Civil society Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere.international organisations and governments of member states of the European Union are all important actors in this field.

Funding

Directorate-General awards grants and contracts to implement projects or activities that relate to the European Union's external aid programmes. To ensure that EuropeAid's work to improve people's lives is recognised, a set of visibility guidelines have been produced. These guidelines ensure that aid projects acknowledge the funding support they receive from Commission budgets. They also help to raise the general profile of the EU across the world.

Development aid Development aid is a type of foreign/international/overseas aid given by governments and other agencies to support the economic, environmental, social, and political development of developing countries. Closely-related concepts include: develop ...

is financed directly by the EU budget (70%) as part of the financial instruments for external action and also by the

(EDF) (30%).Mikaela Gavas 2010
Financing European development cooperation: the Financial Perspectives 2014–2020.
London:

Overseas Development Institute ODI (formerly the 'Overseas Development Institute') is a global affairs think tank, founded in 1960. Its mission is "to inspire people to act on injustice and inequality through collaborative research and ideas that matter for people and the ...

The EU's external action financing is divided into 'geographic' and 'thematic' instruments. The 'geographic' instruments provide aid through the Development Cooperation Instrument (DCI, €16.9 billion, 2007–2013), which must spend 95% of its budget on

(ODA), and from the

European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument Global Europe, officially the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI), is the financial arm of the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union, which provides funding for the European Neighbourhood ...

(ENPI), which contains some relevant programmes. According to the

OECD The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; french: Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques, ''OCDE'') is an intergovernmental organisation with 38 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate ...

, 2020 official development assistance from EU institutions increased by 25.4% to US$19.4 billion. The EDF (€22.7 bn, 2008–2013) is made up of voluntary contributions by EU Member States. There is currently a debate on whether to 'budgetise' the EDF. The perceived advantages include: * contributions would be based on GNI and this may increase the currently voluntary contributions * the harmonisation of EU budget and EDF administration might decrease administration costs and increase aid effectiveness * an all-

Africa, Caribbean, and Pacific countries The Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) is a group of countries in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific that was created by the Georgetown Agreement in 1975. Formerly known as African, Caribbean and Pacific Group o ...

geographic strategy is no longer relevant as programmes are more localised to regions or country-level * there would be increase democratic control and parliamentary scrutiny The perceived disadvantages are that: * 90% of EDF resources reach 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

References

External links

DG INTPA - DG for International PartnershipsExcerpt from an EU promotion video on Global Assistance (development aid)ACP ProgrammingMillennium Development Goals
{{Foreign relations of the European Union 2

International Cooperation and Development The Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG International Partnerships or DG INTPA) is the European Commission department responsible for international development policy. It operates under the authority of the European Commission ...

International development agencies European Union foreign aid