WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/GEN/244
27 April 2001
(01-2121)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:  English
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
Statement by the European Communities at the Meeting of 14-15 March 2001
In order to enhance transparency and better knowledge of its activities in the management of
external assistance to developing countries, the European Commission wishes to provide the SPS
Members with some preliminary information about the following issues:
• Reform of the EU Management of External Assistance:  The EuropeAid Co-operation
Office
• External Assistance to ACP countries:  Existing EDF (European Development Fund) 
procedures
• Technical Assistance to developing countries on SPS matters:  Indicative List of 
Projects
For further information please contact the European Commission Delegation in your
respective country or the European Commission SPS Enquiry Point.
Reform of the EU Management of External A ssistance:  The EuropeAid Co-operation Office
1. External assistance programmes managed by the European Commission have tripled over the
last 10 years to reach 12.3 billion EUR in 2000.  The European Commission currently delivers more
than 10 per cent of total official development assistance world-wide.  External aid programmes aremanaged by it directly and constitute 62 per cent of all its accounts.  EC grant aid exceeds
concessional loans granted by the World Bank.
2. To respond to the increasing aid volumes, improving the management of EU external
assistance programmes becomes a vital and visible part of the European Commission reform with a
direct impact on the international standing of the EU.  The aim is to reshape the external relations
services of the European Commission to equip them to meet the challenge of directly managing one
of the largest and rapidly increasing chapters of EU expenditure.
3. On 16 May 2000, the European Commission adopted the Communication on the Reform of
the Management of External Assistance.  The Communication identifies an ambitious programme of
measures to make significant improvements in the quality and timely delivery of projects while
ensuring robust financial management and in creased impact of EU external assistance.
4. The Communication identifies four broad areas where major changes are envisaged:
• A radical overhaul of programming of assistance
• Reunification of the project cycleG/SPS/GEN/244
Page 2
• Creation of the EuopeAid Co-operation Office
• Extensive devolution to EC delegations all over the world and, where possible, to 
partner countries delegations.
5. The EuropeAid Co-operation Office , is a new office for the management of most of the
external assistance of the European Commissi on.  Starting from 1 January 2001, EuropeAid Co-
operation Office manages 80 per cent of the EU's external assistance, amounting to more than
€ 9 billion annually in aid projects around the world.
6. Building on the existing Common Service for External Relations (SCR), EuropeAid Co-
operation Office is responsible for the management of the project cycle.  This means the managing of
external assistance projects, under a single administrative structure, from identification of projects to
monitoring of their implementation and to evaluation.
7. The new approach applies to most of the EU external aid programmes (such as TACIS and
MEDA) and the European Development Fund (covering the ACP (Africa, Caribbean and Pacific)
group of countries).  Pluriannual programming will remain the responsibility of the DirectoratesGeneral for External Relations and Development.
8. EuropeAid Co-operation Office operates under a Management Board chaired by
Commissioner Chris Pattern with Commissioner Poul Nielson as its Chief Executive Officer.
Commissioners Günter Verheugen, Pascal Lamy and Pedro Solbes Mira are members of this Board.
9. As previously said, an essential feature of the structure is devolution of significant
responsibilities to the field.  New responsibilities will be given to the 128 Commission Delegations
around the world (deconcentration) and/or to bene ficiary states, when possible (decentralization).
This process will start with 23 delegations in 2001 (FRY, Croatia, Russia, Egypt, Morocco, Gaza
Strip/West Bank, Tunisia, Turkey, Indonesia, Thailand, India, China, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Argentina,
Mexico, South Africa, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mali, Dominican Republic, Brazil).
10. By the end of 2003, all delegations should manage the External Assistance Programmes in the
countries they are responsible for.  It will ensure that Commission assistance is more responsive to the
needs of beneficiaries, that it leads to an improv ement in quality and speed of delivery of external
assistance, and that it is properly co-ordinated in the field with other donors.
11. EuropeAid Co-operation Office will have a total staff of about 1200 by the end of 2001.
When the process is completed, about half of the num ber should be serving abroad.  It is accompanied
by the dissolution of the Technical Assistance Offices.
12. The benefits of the implementation of this new policy start to be a reality.  Some areas as
transparency and standardization, the financial backlog for old commitments and payments, have
already improved.  Procurement operations are now published on the Internet.  The EuropeAid Co-operation Office web site receives around 600,000 monthly hits, most of them to the tendering sub-
site.  Only eight tendering procedures exist now, instead of forty-six as they were.  A new and single
manual of procedures has been adopted and standardized contract models are used for programmes
around the world from 1 January 2001 (and as soon as approved by the ACP Council for the EDF).
External Assistance to ACP countries:  Existing EDF (European Development Fund)
procedures
13. A fundamental difference between EDF-financed and Budget-financed projects is that, as a
general rule, requests for technical assistance (in the restricted sense of services) from this Fund,G/SPS/GEN/244
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whether in the framework of a project or not, can only be accepted by the European Commission if
channelled through the National Authorising Officer (NAO) of the ACP country concerned.  The
NAO is usually the Minister of Planning, Economy or Co-operation.
14. The procedure relating to contracts for works, supplies and services concluded for the
purposes of Community co-operation with ACP countries, are due to change most likely in the
course of 2001 .  It is expected that the "Manual of Instructions" which was adopted by the
Commission on 10 November 1999 and is now applicable to all Budget lines, will also be applicable
to the European Development Fund as soon as officially agreed by the ACP partners.  This will need a
ministerial meeting, which is still to be convened.
15. The existing EDF procedures still in use vary according to the estimated cost of the services,
supplies or works to be provided.
(a) Services   (incl. consultancies, technical assistance, supervision of works, evaluations, audits)
• If the cost does not exceed EUR 80,000, the Head of the EC Delegation in the ACP
country concerned may approve the request and take all the steps for the signing ofthe contract on a direct agreement basis, after a restricted consultation of at least three
experts or consultants.
• For services of which the cost does not exceed EUR 200,000 a special framework
contract system is in place, which is managed by the Commission services in Brussels
(AIDCO/C).  A lternatively and for services of up to EUR 150,000, AIDCO/C may
prepare direct agreement contracts, after a restricted consultation process.
• Above this latter figure, a restricted invitation to tender is the rule.  However, a
service contract for a cost exceeding EUR 750,000 must be part of a project.
• If the estimated cost exceeds EUR 2,000,000, a pre-qualification tender is an
additional requirement.  Before such a contract can be signed, the project has to beapproved by the EDF Committee (in which each EU Member State is represented)
either by a written procedure if the total cost of the project does not exceedEUR 7,000,000 or as a result of a debate by the Committee.
(b) Supplies   (can only be financed as part of a project)
• For an estimated cost of up to EUR 25,000:  direct agreement.
• For more than EUR 25,000 and up to EUR 100,000:  restricted tender.
• More than EUR 100,000:  open tender.
(c) Works   (can only be financed as part of a project)
• For an estimated cost of up to EUR 250,000:  direct agreement.
• For more than EUR 250,000 but less than EUR 1,000,000:  restricted tender.
• For more than EUR 1,000,000 but less than EUR 5,000,000:  open local tender.
• For more than EUR 5,000,000:  open tender.G/SPS/GEN/244
Page 4Indicative List of Projects
Country Project Title Target Group Budget and duration Aim and Contents
ACP countries except the
SADC region (32 countries)Pan African Programme for
the Control of EpizooticDiseases – PACEAll actors involved in
the livestock-farmingsector (producers,service providers and
consumers)EUR 72 million  for five years
(1999-2004 ) from European
Development Fund (Regional andNational funds) for both national
and regional components.To establish lower-cost national and continental
epidemiological surveillance networks for themain animal diseases, provide the countries withthe capacities needed to organize economically
and technically justified control programmes and
develop effective and sustainable distribution ofveterinary products and services.
Madagascar "TA epidemiologist to the
Directorate of VeterinaryServices"
"Epidemiological
Surveillance andConstruction of alaboratory for FoodHygiene" and "QualityControl on Fishery
products"Competent
authorities(Veterinary Services)
and private
enterprises in theexport business offoodstuffs of animalorigin products,including fishery
productsEUR 5,835,000  (funded under
EDF including Stabex and theFood Security budget line).Indicated under the title.
Eritrea Fish quality and sanitary
control projectCompetent
Authorities for thecontrol of fisheryproducts.  Public andprivate exportoriented enterprisesEUR 140,000  for 10 years ( 2001-
2003 )Technical Assistance project for hygiene audits,
HACCP implementation and appraisal andbusiness planning for quality related investments.
Traditional ACP suppliers of
bananas   Cameroon, Cape
Verde, Ivory Coast, Madagascar,Somalia, Jamaica, Belize, St.Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada,Dominica, Suriname)"Special Framework of
Assistance for traditional
ACP suppliers of bananas"Certified banana
farmers and related
people in rural areas,Growers associations,Public Authoritiesand Private sector
companiesEUR 350 m for 10 years ( 1999-
2008 ).To assist in the development of a sustainable and
viable banana industry, which can withstand
competition from other ACP banana producingstates and Latin American producers;  to assistformer banana growers in switching towardsother activities.
All-ACP countries Strengthening of
implementation capacity inACP countries in relationto fishery products sanitaryand quality controlsCompetent
Authorities in ACPcountries for thecontrol of fisheryproducts for export,enterprises
processing, exporting
or marketing fisheryproducts, localEUR 20 million  for 5 years
(2002-2007 ) from European
Development Funds (Regionaland National funds)1. Support for the application by the
Competent Authority and its inspectionagencies of EU Directives for healthcontrols of fishery products.
2. Design and implementation of an
appropriate residue monitoring plan.
3. Strengthening the analytical capacity of
official testing laboratories and introductionG/SPS/GEN/244
Page 5Country Project Title Target Group Budget and duration Aim and Contents
authorities and
professionalorganizations.for suitable systems of quality assurance.
4. Support for establishments exporting fishery
products.
5. Support for small-scale fisheries supplying
raw materials for exports.
All-ACP countries Pesticides Initiative
ProgrammeProducers and
exporters of fruits
and vegetables in theACP countriesIt is about to be launched, for an
estimated cost of
EUR 29,122,000  and a five-year
duration.To assist the target group to comply with EU
sanitary and phytosanitary rules.
SADC countries Southern Africa Animal
Diseases ControlNational and regional
animal healthauthoritiesIt is in its early preparation stage,
for an indicative cost of EUR
20,000,000 .  Implementation is
targeted for early 2002 .It is designed to reinforce the capacities of the
countries in the region to control animal diseases(epizootics), to monitor the circulation of
animals and animal products and to exchange
epidemiological information at national, regionaland international (OIE) levels.
Egypt Potato Brown Rot Project
-  Phase IGov. phytosanitary
control authorities,potato growersassociations, potato
exportersEuro 650,000   Project
completion:  Dec. 2000Establish the capacity to control potato brown rot
disease through the transfer of know-how (TA)training and procurement of equipment.
Egypt Potato Brown Rot Project
-  Phase IGov. phytosanitary
control authorities,farmers, extensionservice, packingstations, exportersEuro 2,0000,000
2001-2005The establishment of an epidemiological system
for the sustainable control of Potato Brown Rotdisease.  Provision of TA, training andequipment.
Yemen Strengthening of Yemen's
Fishery Products Quality
Control SystemGov. authorities,
exporters of fishery
products, fishery
industry, fisheries co-operativeEUR 200,000  completed during
first half of 2001To enable Yemen's fishery product, quality
control system to maintain regulatory
compliance requirements of key markets.
Regional (Egypt, Israel, Jordan
and West Bank Gaza)Regional Animal Health
ProgrammeVeterinary services EUR 1,400,000 To promote a closer co-operation of the national
veterinary services in the region in order toimprove the animal health situation and make the
control of animal diseases more cost efficient.
Jamaica, Cameron, Zambia
and EthiopiaFour seminars on SPS and
trade-related  issuesorganized by FAO andfinanced by DG Dev.
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