Cotonou Agreement and the European Development Fund

Aprodev has been active in the debate and in the monitoring of the EU-ACP agreement since the mid ‘ 90 when the Lome IV agreement was under revision.
Aprodev is a founding member of the Cotonou Monitoring Group that was established with the objective of monitoring the negotiations between the EU and the ACP group that led in 2000 to the signature of the Cotonou Agreement.

Since the signature of the Cotonou Agreement Aprodev and the CMG maintained the pressure on the European Commission and the ACP group to enhance the quantity and quality of European aid to ACP countries and promote policies and programmes which are based on the overall orientation outlined in the Millenium Development Goals, are participatory, transparent, accountable and are coherent with the objective of poverty eradication.

In 2003, the Cotonou Monitoring Group evolved into a broader group under the umbrella of CONCORD. Aprodev is member of the two sub-groups of the CONCORD Cotonou Working Group focusing on the two essential aspects of the Cotonou Agreement:

• EU aid to the ACP countries and the European development Fund
• EU-ACP trade and the negotiations of Economic Partnership Agreements

European Development Fund and its programming

Programming of the 10th EDF

EU-ACP relations: will the EU deliver on its promises: Information on the programming of EC aid for ACP countries (March 2006) - French version (Mars 2006)

This briefing paper has been prepared by the Concord Cotonou Working Group to facilitate the
lobbying and participation of civil society organisations in the European Union and African, Caribbean
and Pacific countries in the forthcoming processes of the 10th EDF Programming.

Programming of the 9th EDF

Aprodev produces several papers based on the analysis of the Country Strategy papers resulting from the programming of the 9th European Development Fund.

The information provided in these papers originates from an analysis of the Country Strategy Papers (CSPs) that are published on the DG Development website.
For each country, the summary tables contain information on the main sectors of activity of the National Indicative Programme, the way in which civil society has been consulted and will be involved in the NIP, the way gender is taken into account and the existence of decentralised cooperation programmes.
The Rapid Survey summarises and comments the information contained in the table produced in August 2002. It includes a critical analysis of the way in which civil society was involved in the programming and will be involved in the implementation of the NIPs and an analysis of the way gender is mainstreamed.

Table summarizing some aspects of the Country Support Strategies of 40 African Countries (December 2003)

Rapid survey of 40 ACP Country Support Strategies: What about civil society participation? (September 2002)

Table summarising some aspects of the ACP Country Support Strategies (August 2002)

Briefing note on civil society participation in the Cotonou Agreement (Dec 2002)
The paper aims at informing APRODEV agencies and their partners about the political commitments in favour of civil society participation in the ACP-EU Cotonou Agreement and at suggesting ways of spreading the information and supporting ACP civil society in grasping these new opportunities.