COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 
COM(93)123 final 
Brussels, 24 March 1993 
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL 
AND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 
THE RUN-UP TO 2000: IDENTIFYING PRIORITY AREAS FOR THE COORDINATION 
OF DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION POLICIES BETWEEN THE COMMUNITY 
AND THE MEMBER STATES 
based on a review of the texts adopted by the 
Council (development cooperation) since 1981 
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND PARLIAMENT 
THE RUN-UP TO 2000: IDENTIFYING PRIORITY AREAS FOR THE COORDINATION 
OF DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION POLICIES BETWEEN THE COMMUNITY 
AND THE MEMBER STATES 
based on a review of the texts adopted by the 
Council (development cooperation) since 1981 
Introduct ion 
In their declaration of 18 November 1992 on development cooperation policy 
in the run-up to 2000, the Council and the representatives of the Member 
States' governments underlined the need for the Community and the Member 
States to pursue complementary development cooperation policies, as 
provided for in the Treaty on European Union. Development cooperation 
objectives will be attained more effectively by closer coordination at 
policy formulation and operational levels, in international bodies and 
where appropriate by joint operations. 
The Council therefore called on the Commission to put forward proposals for 
enhanced coordination procedures and to conduct a review of past Council 
resolutions and conclusions so as to identify priority areas where closer 
policy coordination could increase the effectiveness of development 
assi stance. In its choice of priority areas the Commission should consider 
the content of its communication of May 1992 on development cooperation 
policy in the run-up to 2000 and take account of the issues covered by 
existing Council texts and the existence of other forums for coordination 
between all aid donors, in order to avoid duplication. 
Various coordination strategies and bodies, mainly operational, have 
existed for quite some time between the Community and the Member States, 
generally based on the pragmatic, voluntary and "à la carte" approach 
advocated in the Council resolution of June 1984. A more systematic, 
reciprocal form of coordination, involving the various levels mentioned 
above, has on the other hand emerged only more recently and in just two 
areas: democracy and human rights-, structural adjustment and management of 
counterpart funds. 
This relatively recent move to step up coordination, especially policy 
coordination, is certainly in part due to changes in the actual content of 
development cooperation, particularly with regard to the Community in the 
context of the Lomé Conventions. Basically, the approach has shifted from 
programming a list of projects (Lomé I I) to cooperation focused on sectoral 
policy support (Lomé III), and then to dialogue on overall economic 
recovery (Lomé IV). It has become increasingly necessary to ensure that 
policies are consistent and therefore to coordinate at the policy 
f- i ;nul at ion stage. 
•l 
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Stepping up policy and operational coordination and extending it in 
modulated fashion to other priority areas implies establishing more 
precisely a more systematic yet sufficiently flexible approach in order to 
tailor coordination to the various areas in question. In a parallel 
communication to this one, the Commission puts forwards proposals on these 
lines, based on a study of existing and possible future coordination 
procedures and mechanisms and taking account of past experience and the new 
legal framework. 
In addition, since coordination is not an end in itself, particularly in 
terms of policy formulation, and since it is bound to cost money, the 
priority areas in which the modulated stepping up of coordination will 
bring about "comparative advantages" must be identified. These areas could 
then be the subject of Council resolutions establishing the foundations of 
systematically strengthened coordination, following a similar approach to 
that already adopted for democratic consolidation or structural adjustment. 
In this communication three types of criteria are used to identify the 
areas proposed as priorities for coordination and particularly for policy 
coordination. The guidelines for each area should be laid down in Council 
résolut ions: 
- the area is considered a priority in terms of the general development 
cooperation objectives pursued by the Community and the Member States-, 
- strengthened cooperation in the area can achieve much more effective 
results than dispersed or poorly coordinated operations and, in some cases, 
than possible coordination outside the Community-, 
- the area is dealt with very inadequately or by existing ÇQUJLCJJ tejLLS 
which have been overtaken-, otherwise the political basis for reinforced 
coordination already exists and so problem is rather that of putting it 
i nto operat ion. 
It will therefore be made clear that priority areas in terms of development 
cooperation objectives (first condition above) are not necessarily all 
priorities for policy coordination in the years to come, either because 
operations undertaken individually may be reasonably effective or because 
such coordination is already fully provided for in relatively recent 
Council texts (it is therefore more a question of taking the necessary 
steps for their implementation). 
Section 18 of the Council declaration gives the four maior objectives of 
development cooperation which are laid down in the Treaty on European Union 
(Article 130U) and explained in more detail in the Commission communication 
of May 1992. Each of the four objectives covers a variety of themes, 
sectors and cooperation instruments (see sections 34 to 38 of the 
communication and Chapter 3, points 3.2.2 and 3.3, of the Annex to it) 
which constitute the priority areas of development cooperation policy for 
the Community and the Member States in the years to come. 
In political terms democratic consolidation entails guaranteeing certain 
fundamental freedoms, strengthening the rule of law, ensuring leaders 
assume responsibility vis-à-vis the people and act with transparency, which 
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often involves a reform of the state and its political and administrative 
structures. In economic terms it implies development through 
participation, decentralized cooperation and support for private 
i n i t i at i ves. 
Sustainable economic and social development clearly involves a wide variety 
of aspects which hinge on three main components: restoring the major 
internal macroeconomic balances (budget, money) and external macroeconomic 
balances (balance of payments, debt, exchange rate), taking account of the 
possible deterioration in the social or political situation; economic 
restructuring with a view to establishing the conditions for sustainable 
growth and more often than not involving gradual internal and external 
liberalization measures, support for productive investment, a fair incomes 
policy and specific policies geared to each situation (rural development, 
controlled urban growth, promotion or support for certain industries); 
longer-term programming, notably for policies on population, environment, 
and human resources development (in particular health and education). 
The smooth integration of the developing countries into the world economy 
clearly calls on their part for competitive economic, institutional and 
technical structures, appropriate trade and exchange policies and moves 
towards regional cooperation or even integration. It also, however, 
requires certain measures on the part of the developed countries - aid 
certainly but also measures to improve the developing countries' 
international economic climate, measures in the field of trade relations, 
as underlined by the Commission communication, and in the field of 
financial relations, particularly the external debt problems of many 
developing countries. It is worth recalling here that development 
cooperation policy forms part of the Community's external relations policy, 
the various aspects of which must take due account of development 
object i ves. 
The campaign against poverty ties in clearly to a large extent with 
sustainable economic and social development. It depends on a resumption in 
growth, the establishment of viable economic structures and the ironing-out 
of inequalities, an aspect which is specific to poverty issues. The 
Commission communication also underlines the priority which should be given 
here to human development objectives, in particular health and education 
policies, not forgetting food security and employment. These medium and 
long-term policies must be backed up by targeted operations designed to 
relieve situations of dire poverty, to cope with emergency needs or to 
offset the social costs of other policies or the economic development 
process itself. 
These then are the main priority objectives of development cooperation to 
be pursued by the Community and the Member States in the years ahead. In 
each of these areas what needs to be looked at is the extent to which it is 
covered by existing Council texts and the advisability of stepping up 
coord i nat ion. 
All the texts adopted by the Council since 1981, discussed in this 
communication, currently provide the main basis, common to the Member 
States and the Community, of the principles and objectives of development 
cooperation and possible policy coordination. The older texts can hardly 
be considered pertinent any longer, especially since the Council 
(development) did not meet as regularly then. The first ten 
résolut ions,adopted in 1974 are, however, rather special and will therefore 
be referred to when the relevant areas (trade and financial relations) are 
dealt with. 
It is immediately clear from the review of Council texts that the priority 
areas are covered to a very varying degree by the 24 resolutions, 30 
conclusions and 4 other texts (including the declaration of 18 November 
1992) adopted by the Council (development cooperation) between 1981 and 
1992. 
With regard to the objective of democratic consolidation, recent Council 
resolutions cover most of the political aspects, including coordination, 
despite a certain lack of focus, for example on operational implementation, 
understandable enough in this area. Economic aspects are dealt with more 
cursorily. There are, however, references in other texts, although often 
imprecise or summary. 
Certain aspects, including coordination, of sustainable economic and social 
development are dealt with satisfactorily by the resolutions on structural 
adjustment (although insufficient attention is given to international trade 
and financial relations and to the respective roles of the state and the 
private sector). The same can largely be said for population and 
environment policies whereas to date there is almost no trace of social 
issues and the development of human resources in Council texts on 
development cooperation (apart from a number of conclusions on the role and 
status of women). 
Council texts on the many topics connected with integration into the world 
economy. on which the results of all other areas of development cooperation 
to a large extent depend, are on the whole very inadequate (especially on 
trade relations) or non-existent (financial relations and debt issues). 
However, a set of resolutions adopted in 1974 (in other words prior to the 
period being examined here) explicitly tackled all these issues 
(generalized preferences, commodities agreements, volume, conditions and 
geographical breakdown of aid, debt problems). 
The Commission is currently preparing a communication on the campa i gn 
against poverty in general, which it will present to the Council in the 
course of this year. As has already been stated, however, existing Council 
texts on specific social policies are very inadequate: those on health 
policies cover only the AIDS pandemic and there is nothing at all on 
education or employment policies. 
The structure of this communication ties in with the themes of Council 
texts adopted since 1981, classified by area (basically following the 
classification used in the "Compilation of Texts" published by the Council-, 
the list is given in the Annex). In addition, a number of areas so far not 
dealt with by Council texts but which are priority areas in terms of the 
development cooperation objectives given above, are covered: education and 
training, employment, the fight against poverty, aid and debt issues. 
Although there are no texts to discuss, these areas must none the less 
beconsidered in tetms of the possibilities and advantages of increased 
coord i nat ion. 
Chapters 1 to 7 deal with "sectoral" and "trans-sectoral" fields: agri-
food, heaith, environment, population, role and status of women, education 
and training, employment. 
Chapters 8 to 13 cover areas connected with general development policies: 
structural adjustment and counterpart funds, democracy and human rights, 
investment and the private sector, trade relations, the fight against 
poverty, aid and debt. 
Chapter 14 comments more briefly on texts on other instrumental and 
organizational issues: emergency aid, cooperation with NGOs, European 
public opinion, programming and evaluation, coordination. 
For each area covered by at least one Council text since 1981, 
consideration will be given to the quality and the up-to-dateness of cover 
by the existing text(s), in terms of both development cooperation 
objectives and more specifically future policy coordination priorities. 
In essence, for each area dealt with (except for the last two chapters) 
this pqper gives: 
a brief description of the main conclusions of existing texts; 
a critical assessment of their content; 
an assessment of their contribution in terms of coordination-, 
an assessment of how up to date they are and the extent to which 
they are pr ior i t ies; 
conclusions and recommendations for the next few years, 
particularly the degree of priority in terms of policy 
coordinat ion. 
The short description of the content of existing texts briefly outlines the 
main provisions and guidelines in order to give an overview of the 
objectives and other essential aspects of each area and any developments 
during the period in question. 
The assessment of the content of existing texts primarily covers, for each 
area of development cooperation, the precision and relevance of the 
objectives stated and the suitability and degree of effectiveness of the 
means proposed, pointing out any shortcomings. 
The assessment of coordination involves scrutinizing the provisions of 
Council texts on specific coordination objectives and procedures, notably 
between the Community and its Member States. The question posed concerns 
the means provided by existing texts for defining common principles of 
action (policy coordination) and for implementing them by concerted or 
joint operations (operational coordination). 
The extent to which existing texts are still UP to date is assessed on the 
basis of the completeness and pertinence of the cover given to the main 
development cooperation objectives referred to above and set out in detail 
in the Commission communication of May 1992. 
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The conclusions and recommendations summarized in the general conclusions 
of this communication are intended to meet the Council request to identify 
priority areas in which there is most need for reinforced policy 
coordination in order to improve the effectiveness of the development 
cooperation policies pursued by the Community and the Member States in the 
years ahead. 
Before beginning to examine the Council texts area by area, it would be as 
well to establish the limits of this communication. 
There are other basic texts on coordination, even policy coordination, 
besides Council (development) resolutions and recommendations. This is 
particularly true of the ACP countries with the Lomé Convention and its 
implementing texts and the basic sectoral principles derived from 
evaluations (approved by the ACP-EEC Council of Ministers). Fairly clear-
cut guidelines on developing countries in Asia and Latin America were also 
adopted by the Council (foreign affairs) in 1991 . These and other similar 
texts are not discussed here because this communication focuses more on 
development cooperation policies than its instruments. 
With regard to coordination as such, no proposals will be found here on the 
procedures and mechanisms for each case. These will be contained in a 
parallel communication. 
Since the purpose of this communication is to identify the priority areas 
for policy coordination, it does not contain specific proposals on the 
content of each of these areas. This should be the subject of subsequent 
specific documents. 
In the light of past experience it seems clear that it is not enough just 
to identify the priority areas and adopt resolutions accordingly. It is 
probably not even the most important aspect in terms of policy 
coordination. If resolutions are not to remain a dead letter, and if they 
are not to be forgotten no sooner adopted, as has sometimes been the case 
in the past, mechanisms will have to be set up to monitor, follow up and 
evaluate the implementation of Council resolutions, which henceforth 
concern both the Commission and the Member States. 
The usefulness of this review exercise must be pointed up: development 
cooperation practices are changing significantly and it is becoming 
increasingly difficult to conduct a large-scale operation without the donor 
first ensuring that the operation dovetails with the recipient country's 
sectoral or general policies. At present, even though a good number of 
general policy principles seem to be widely accepted, much still remains to 
be done before these principles really form a common basis for operations 
harmonized at operational level. The decisions to be taken by the Council 
when each of the policies is examined in detailed, conceptual terms will 
help the Community and its Member States to take this vital step. 
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1. EûS£L_Sfi£iALLt.V. 
Agriculture and food are the subject most frequently encountered in Council 
(development) texts of the period 1981-92, accounting for six of the 24 
resolutions, and seven sets of conclusions, in other words 22% of the 58 
texts adopted. Attention has, however, waned in recent years: while there 
were ten texts in the first six years of the period, there have been only 
three since 1987, the most recent dating back to May 1990. Moreover, 
several texts concern a single instrument: food aid. 
1 • 1 Main principles and guidelines 
Most of the Council texts on food aid and food security deal specifically 
with a single development region, sub-Saharan Africa, and sometimes with a 
few specific countries of this region. This clearly reflects two factors: 
the region's particularly serious food problems and the relative 
concentration there of Community aid (the Commission's and that of most 
Member States). Both tendencies were reinforced during the eighties. 
Three main themes are discernible in the texts on food issues-, medium- and 
long-term food security problems and their relationship with agricultural 
and rural development policies; food aid in exceptional circumstances 
(which may, however, prove recurrent); the relationship of agriculture and 
food to other areas of development cooperation. 
Although the three themes sometimes overlap, the emphasis has shifted 
appreciably during the period in question: the earlier texts centred on the 
first theme, gradually giving way to food aid and the handling of 
emergencies, while the relationship with other policies is a more recent 
theme, particularly in the context of structural adjustment programmes. 
Thus, in its resolution of November 1981 underlining the priority accorded 
by the Community to the agriculture and food sectors, the Council declares 
that "a thread which runs through all these conclusions is the importance 
of helping developing countries to adopt policies which promote 
agricultural development", and even goes so far as to recommend that aid be 
made subject to a degree of conditionaI ity relating to the adoption of 
appropriate sectoral policies. This priority objective of consistent 
medium- and long-term agriculture and food strategies leading ultimately to 
self-sufficiency is reaffirmed in several other Council texts, notably the 
resolutions of November 1983 and November 1988, although the latter already 
stresses the general economic environment and consistency with structural 
adjustment programmes. Both texts at least mention the main lines of this 
policy, and sometimes go into greater detail: policies on agricultural 
production (and in particular food) and pricing, distribution problems, 
multiannual agricultural and rural development programmes, the choice and 
impact of products supplied from abroad, the respective roles of local 
organizations, NGOs and women, environmental impact, etc. 
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Most of the Council texts do, of course, recognize the need for food aid, 
particularly in emergencies, and some deal specifically with it. In the 
resolution of November 1989 top priority is given to emergencies, with 
medium- and long-term food security taking second place and no mention 
whatsoever being made of agricultural development policies. 
The conclusions of April 1986 regarding four African countries explicitly 
set out certain conditions relating to food aid's general economic 
environment, whereas, for example, the re-establishment of the balance of 
payments was only a secondary objective in the resolution of November 1983. 
Consistency with structural adjustment programmes is a concept introduced 
by the resolution of November 1988, which becomes a key component of the 
last two resolutions, adopted in November 1989 and May 1990 respectively, 
notably in the shape of the rules for the use of counterpart funds, which 
are no longer necessarily reserved for supporting agricultural policies 
(see also the resolution of May 1991 on the subject). 
1.2 Remarks on content 
As has been pointed out, most significant food aid and food security 
issues, and their relationship to other sectors of development cooperation, 
have been tackled in one Council text or another, and often in some detail 
(with numerous and inevitable repetitions), not only in terms of objectives 
but of resources and procedures too. When viewed as forming a coherent 
whole, these texts emerge as being relatively comprehensive and precise. 
The question is not so much one of form or content but of how effectively 
they have actually been applied in practice. 
In, however, tracing the evolution of the Council's texts, it is necessary 
to underline the fact that the crucial subject of agricultural and rural 
development policies, the only "sustainable" solution to the food problems 
of many developing countries, is not given the attention it deserves in the 
earlier texts of the period under study, and seems somewhat neglected, not 
to say forgotten later on, to the advantage of emergency food aid 
objectives and macroeconomic objectives connected with the structural 
adjustment process. Furthermore, some of the essential issues of 
cooperation in this field, such as the criteria for choosing between food 
and export crops (and the way some aid instruments influence this choice), 
or agricultural pricing policies, are given only a fleeting mention without 
operational consequences for the many large-scale food aid operations 
conducted by the Commission and the Member States. 
1.3 Remarks on coordination 
The need for closer coordination between the Community and its Member 
States (and with other donors too, such as the international organizations) 
is asserted by several of the Council's texts, particularly the more recent 
ones (e.g. the resolution of November 1988, which alludes to the structural 
adjustment programmes), but in a general, perhaps even superficial, way, 
without going into the operational practicalities. The most specific 
overall text in this respect remains the resolution of November 1981, which 
identifies several levels of coordination-. political (Council), 
administrative (departments of the Commission and the Member States), local 
(on-the-spot representatives). But there is no reference to the specific 
objectives of coordination, reciprocal obligations or procedures. 
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This is undoubtedly a major failing in a field where close and continuous 
coordination both at policy level and in the field is particularly 
necessary, given the scale of the problems, the potential synergies and the 
perverse effects of piecemeal action. 
There is nevertheless one text almost entirely devoted to the problems of 
coordination between the Community and its Member States: the conclusions 
of November 1984 on the campaign against the impact of an exceptional 
drought in the Sahel set out the operational aspects of coordination in 
great detail. Identifying inadequately concerted action as the main 
obstacle to effective aid, this text takes the shape of a detailed annual 
plan for the coordination of emergency food aid operations in the region, 
setting out the timetable, specific objectives and decision-making levels 
of the meetings scheduled. It should not be seen as a one-off: the text 
mentions the possibility of adapting and extending the method to regions 
other than the Sahel and to "normal" situations, something which has, 
however, never been done. 
The conclusions of November 1984 are the only Council text (together with 
the resolution of May 1989 on coordination in structural adjustment) 
containing relatively precise and binding provisions on coordination 
between the Community and its Member States, dealing with both Community 
cooperation in the strict sense and bilateral cooperation. 
1.4 Relevance for the present and priority 
Though it cannot be said to analyse food security and agricultural and 
rural development policies in depth, the Commission communication on 
development cooperation policy in the run-up to 2000 does state, in point 
3.2.2.B.2 of the Annex, that "the rural world must remain a priority" in 
countries where the rural population and agricultural production 
predominate, countries which are also very often among the poorest. While 
this is true mainly of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, many countries in 
other regions are also affected. The Council guidelines of February 1991 
on cooperation with the ALA developing countries also present support for 
the rural world as the Community's leading priority. 
For many countries, the priority accorded to food security and agricultural 
and rural development may therefore be considered obvious in view of the 
four major objectives of development cooperation, and in particular the 
campaign against poverty. It is equally obvious that a sustainable 
solution can come only from agricultural and rural development aimed at 
food security (which does not, of course, mean no imports). Outside 
emergencies, cooperation in this sector should therefore be focused on 
support for coherent national and regional food strategies. 
Lastly, it should be emphasized that such strategies are increasingly 
having to take account of problems associated with rapid urbanization, food 
problems included, which seem to be growing in many developing countries. 
It has to be conceded that the texts adopted by the Council a decade ago 
remain the most comprehensive, precise and relevant, and are therefore, 
strange though it may seem, more up-to-date than more recent ones 
(November 1989 and May 1990), which tend to neglect these essential 
at pects. 
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1.5 Conclusions and recommendations 
Having been the object of, on average, more than one Council text each 
year, food security may still be regarded as one of the chief priorities 
for the years ahead in terms of the expected benefits of a resolution 
setting out clear and precise rules for coordination between the Community 
and its Member States at decision-making and operational level alike. This 
priority is justified both by the sheer volume of operations by the 
Community and the Member States in this field and their interaction with 
many other fields of cooperation, and by the gravity of the problems 
themselves in terms of development cooperation's major objectives, namely 
overcoming poverty and promoting sustainable economic and social 
development. These problems often constitute one of the main aspects of 
regional integration, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. 
It is also without a doubt one of the fields in which there is the greatest 
need for donors, and in particular those based in the Community, to ensure 
that their operations are complementary, or at least consistent. The fact 
that there is already a body of experience of coordination in the field can 
only speed progress towards concerted or joint operations using existing 
instruments wherever possible. 
It has to be said that food security is yesterday's news; this happens from 
time to time to development cooperation policies which, after being all the 
rage for several years, are more or less forgotten or neglected by the 
donors, at least in terms of the public debate. Yet food security remains 
sadly, in some parts of the world at least, an unresolved problem that 
cries out for further reflection and clearer priorities and objectives. 
There is a vital need, in this sector like many others, for relatively 
binding evaluation mechanisms to be introduced in order to ensure that all 
concerned actually apply the Council resolutions. 
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2. HeaUh 
Only the Council's conclusions of May 1987 and November 1989 discuss 
cooperation in health, and in both cases combating AIDS is the sole issue. 
2.1 Main principles and guidelines 
In its conclusions of May 1987 the Council approved a Commission proposal 
for a Community programme to combat AIDS in the developing countries, a 
programme that is mainly preventive in its thrust (reducing transmission in 
all forms) and geared to strengthening health systems in the recipient 
countries, notably by means of cooperation between Community NGOs, 
hospitals and research centres and their counterparts in the developing 
world. The conclusions of November 1989 cover the same issues with the 
addition of a reference to the regional dimension of the problem. 
2.2 Remarks on content 
The Council's conclusions on the Community programme to combat AIDS seem to 
describe the objectives of, and criteria for, action in sufficient detail 
for a policy text, especially in view of the flexibility required by the 
programme owing to the varied and variable nature of the circumstances. 
But it is evident that these texts deal with just one of the many public 
health problems affecting developing countries, the relative seriousness of 
which differs moreover from one region to another. Apart from a fleeting 
reference to health systems, the Council's conclusions remain therefore 
quite inadequate when viewed in the context of the overall policy needs and 
the diversity of the corresponding cooperation projects. 
2.3 Remarks on coordination 
The need for close policy and operational coordination between all donors 
is particularly obvious in this field, especially where the recipient 
countries have yet to establish a coherent and well-established health 
policy and a well-structured health system. The Council's conclusions 
clearly recognize this need with regard to the campaign against AIDS, 
referring both to coordination between the Commission and the Member States 
and to the role of NGOs. 
Of course, there is already a well-oiled mechanism at both international 
(WHO, international and regional congress) and Community level for policy 
and operational coordination in the campaign against AIDS, with frequent 
meetings of experts, but such coordination must be extended to many areas 
of health policy other than AIDS, grave though that pandemic may be. 
2.4 Relevance to the present and priority 
Reinforcing and developing basic social services such as health and 
education is a priority, in terms of human development and the campaign 
against poverty, which is expressly affirmed by the Commission 
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communication on development cooperation policy in the run-up to 2000. The 
campaign against AIDS is also mentioned in the document, but in the 
slightly different context of "new forms of interdependence". 
Note that the priority accorded to this area of cooperation has been 
buttressed by the provisions recently adopted by the Council regarding the 
preferential use of counterpart funds for social spending, be they 
generated by import programmes associated with structural adjustment or 
other aid instruments. 
The existing Council texts clearly fail to match the development 
cooperation priorities in this area. While the need to continue fighting 
AIDS in the developing countries is undeniable, the campaign against this 
pandemic is no substitute for health policy or health cooperation with 
countries facing many other, often equally serious problems, to which, 
however, the solutions are more obvious and which call for technical, 
financial and organizationaI resources that are seldom available. 
2.5 Conclusions and recommendations 
A review of the scope of the Council's texts on health shows a paradoxical 
situation: there are texts on one specific issue, but there is no 
resolution clearly setting out the overall objectives of health cooperation 
or the opportunities and procedures for coordination either within the 
Community or with third parties, such as the WHO or other international 
organi zat ions. 
In this context it should be noted that Article 129 of the Treaty on 
European Union provides that the Community and the Member States shall 
foster co-operation with third countries and the competent international 
organisations in the sphere of public health. The Commission will examine 
the procedures under which this co-operation with third countries should be 
pursued. 
Since, moreover, health is not only a stated priority of Community 
cooperation policy in the context of sustainable development and the 
campaign against poverty but also a field in which a consistent framework, 
laying down priorities and explicit and clear common objectives for action 
by the Community and its Member States, would undoubtedly increase 
effectiveness: it should be seen as one of the chief priorities for the 
years ahead. 
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3. Envi ronment 
In terms of the number of texts adopted by the Council (development) since 
1981, environment takes second place with six resolutions (as many as on 
food issues) and three other texts, i.e. 16% of the 58 texts. Most of 
these texts are quite recent (seven out of nine coming in the latter half 
of the period, making it the Council's main centre of interest since 1987). 
3.1 Main principles and guidelines 
The texts adopted by the Council on the subject of the environment and 
development deal both with the objectives of, and overall criteria for, 
environment cooperation policy and environmental problems which affect the 
developing countries more directly. To the three general resolutions 
(November 1984, November 1987 and May 1990) may be added a declaration on 
the UNCED (November 1991), two resolutions on tropical forests 
(November 1989 and May 1990), conclusions on energy (November 1992) and two 
texts on desertification in Africa (April 1986 and November 1989) 
In terms of their implications for development cooperation, the main thing 
these texts have in common is that they place the emphasis on integrating 
environmental considerations into all areas of cooperation rather than on 
creating specific instruments that positively and directly affect 
environmental problems. Most texts do, however, recognize the need to 
increase funding for the sector (without cutting spending elsewhere); one 
resolution on tropical forests even calls for aid to be doubled, though 
there is generally no mention of target figures. 
Seeing environmental issues as a priority, the Council stresses the value 
of sustained action based on long-term plans adopted in a consistent manner 
by the recipient countries and all donors, the Community and its Member 
States among them. The participation of local people, organizations and 
authorities is seen as a precondition for success, and reference is made to 
the regional dimension of the problems and of any action to be taken 
(though this is not given any particular emphasis, which may seem somewhat 
surprising since environmental problems are no respecters of national 
front iers). 
3.2 Remarks on the content 
Environmental issues are generally covered quite well by the (development) 
Council's texts: the scale of the problems is adequately underlined, the 
main objectives are clearly set out, criteria and procedures for action are 
described in reasonable detail, the respective roles of those concerned are 
explained and certain interactions with other fields (e.g. social issues) 
are at least mentioned. The resolution of May 1990 is particularly 
important in that it establishes a general framework for integrating 
environmental considerations into all types of development cooperation 
projects and calls for the introduction of a monitoring and evaluation 
system. It has nevertheless become necessary to add to this body of texts 
in order to take account of the outcome of the UNCED in June 1992. 
Ae with other areas covered by numerous Council texts, the relative 
effectiveness of its provisions depends more on the practical procedures 
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for their implementation than on the wording of the resolutions. The texts 
regarding specific areas of activity (e.g. tropical forests or 
desertification) may be counted among the Council's most effective. 
The justification for the efforts required by the Council's resolutions 
regarding environment policy lies primarily in the importance of 
environmental issues to the long-term objectives of development 
cooperation, i.e. in connection with the concept of "sustainable" 
development. Council resolutions hardly ever refer expressly to mutual 
interest or the interdependence of North and South (the resolution of 
May 1990 nonetheless refers to the danger to the planet), even though it is 
reasonable to suppose that such considerations account for at least some of 
the interest in the environment displayed in the development cooperation 
context. 
3.3 Remarks on coordination 
Most of the resolutions mention coordination between the Community and the 
Member States (as well as with the recipient countries and other donors, 
notably regional and international organizations), though the earlier texts 
may be considered by some to be more explicit on this point, with more 
recent texts tending to do little more than reiterate the need for periodic 
meetings of experts from the Commission and the Member States. As long as 
they have precise objectives, these meetings are undoubtedly a vital 
coordination instrument in terms of exchanging information and analyses, of 
establishing common approaches in specific sectors, and of monitoring and 
evaluating the application of policies; they are, however, a most 
inadequate instrument in operational terms. 
In a field of such broad interest, where Member States are involved in 
organizations or action plans, coordination may often go through extra-
Community channels. In addition to coordination on the spot, it is 
particularly important that Community positions in other organizations be 
coordinated, an issue raised, though too vaguely, by some Council texts. 
Lastly, the implementation of the UNCED of June 1992 calls for the 
Community and its Member States to coordinate their action. 
3.4 Relevance to the present and priority 
Today the importance of environmental issues in development cooperation is 
largely recognized by the Community, as it is by the other national or 
international organizations concerned, such as the United Nations or the 
World Bank (which, moreover, devoted its last World Development Report 
(1992) to compatibility between development and environment policies). 
In its communication on development cooperation in the run-up to 2000, this 
topic emerges clearly as one of the preconditions for sustainable economic 
and social development in the long term, and it is also mentioned several 
times in the context of the "new forms of interdependence" and the defence 
of the mutual interests that bind the Community and the developing 
countries. Careful reading of the text shows, however, that environment 
- 16 -
policies per se are seen less as a priority or even a main objective of 
development cooperation than as a factor that must always be taken into 
account. There is no section or paragraph expressly describing or 
analysing environmental cooperation. 
The relatively low profile of environmental considerations in the 
Commission communication can be put down to the fact that it was drafted 
before the June 1992 UNCED, and to a certain reluctance to give pride of 
place in development cooperation policies to an issue more closely bound up 
with world problems than issues or objectives specific to development. 
Sometimes, however, the Council's resolutions on the subject do go beyond 
this rather moderate stance to make the environment a priority area for 
development aid (see in particular the third paragraph of the resolution of 
May 1990). This is also reflected by the frequency of Council resolutions 
on the subject compared with the more scanty treatment of other world 
issues that are no less important in terms of their consequences for 
development (e.g. trade relations or financial relations and debt 
problems). 
3.5 Conclusions and recommendations 
The main advantages of making this field a priority for Council attention 
in the future would arise from the scope for coordination between the 
Community and its Member States, and with other entities. The comparative 
advantages of coordination are particularly obvious in the environmental 
field: to the usual arguments of consistency and effectiveness of 
development cooperation measures can be added the inherently universal or 
at least regional nature of the problems, the need to implement the results 
of the June 1992 UNCED, and the existence of an environment policy in the 
European Community. Another, not inconsiderable advantage is that it would 
be relatively easy for the Member States to agree on areas of common 
ground. 
On the other hand, the issue has already been covered to a great extent by 
existing Council (development) resolutions, which are sufficiently 
numerous, recent, comprehensive and precise for there to be no urgent need 
for an overall update. 
However, the above analysis highlights three failings in the texts: 
They obviously cannot take account of the results of the June 1992 
UNCED, the implementation of which calls for stronger coordination 
between the Community and its Member States. 
The requisite coordination between the Community and its Member 
States (and with other organizations) is given only a summary 
mention; the objectives and procedures for each problem or sector 
concerned could usefully be specified. 
17 
Above all, there should be special procedures for monitoring and 
evaluating the operational application of Council resolutions on an 
issue on which there seems to be a relatively broad consensus at 
policy-making level. 
In conclusion, although there would seem to be no need for a new overall 
resolution, or for new texts on the subjects already tackled 
(desertification and tropical forests), this field may nevertheless be 
deemed a priority for the Council's work in the years ahead, provided it 
focuses on the three points raised, namely implementation of the UNCED 
results, reinforcement of coordination and operational application of 
policy decisions. 
- 18 -
4. POPUIat ion 
The subject of population has featured in only two Council (development) 
texts since 1981: a very general resolution of November 1986 and another on 
family planning of November 1992. 
4.1. Main principles and guidelines 
The two resolutions were triggered by awareness of the problems posed by 
the social economic and environmental impact of uncontrolled population 
growth, which in many countries and regions is becoming a major obstacle to 
sustainable development. The resolutions set out basic principles 
underpinning any population policy, with special emphasis on avoidance of 
any coercive or discriminatory action, the right of individuals to choose 
the number and spacing of their children, the tailoring of efforts to local 
ethical and cultural practices, and the necessary balance between 
population and other resources. 
Against this backcloth the 1986 resolution affirms the need to make 
population policy an integral part of general economic and social 
development policy and describes a number of measures that the Community 
and the Member States would be ready to support, including the gathering 
and analysis of data, training and information, implementation of family 
planning and mother and child care programmes, and improvements in the 
status of women. 
The 1992 resolution sets out objectives and criteria for measures to 
support family planning policies, family planning seen as both a social 
service for human development and as one of the instruments of a population 
policy compatible with sustainable development. The resolution lists forms 
of action in this field, with stress on the need to make use of existing 
health and education structures, but recognizes that not only do existing 
resources have to be used more effectively but that the human and financial 
resources devoted to the sector have to be increased; the Council noted the 
Commission's proposals on financing. 
4.2. Remarks on content 
The 1986 resolution, which is a kind of declaration of principles and 
intent, is not specific enough to serve as a guide for practical action. 
It is more of a springboard for more detailed texts on more specific 
themes, one such being the 1992 resolution on family planning, which deals 
with the main instrument of population policy in much greater detail and 
explicitly provides for more resources. 
The question now is whether other aspects of population policy - problems 
arising in connection with rural exodus to the towns, employment, pressure 
on social services and migration from developing countries to 
industrialized countries - should be covered in the same way. Like family 
planning, they are often considered to be sectors where the Community and 
its Member States could act, and are merely referred to in passing in the 
1986 resolution. 
19 
4.3. Remarks on coordination 
The 1986 resolution makes fairly vague allusion to "adequate coordination 
with Member States and other donors" and meetings of experts that "could be 
useful". The 1992 resolution goes much further, not only emphasizing "the 
importance of both policy and operational coordination "- a clear 
distinction drawn between the two -" between the Commission and the Member 
States" but also fleshing out common priorities and objectives and the 
corresponding means - doubtless in response to the undertaking to increase 
both the amount and effectiveness of the resources allocated to this area 
of policy. Note that the paragraphs on coordination refer explicitly to 
population policies as a whole, not merely family planning. 
4.4. Relevance to the present and priority 
The Commission communication of May 1992 on development cooperation policy 
in the run-up to 2000 cites demographic problems as one of the main 
obstacles to development and accords them a central place in the 
development of "new (?) forms of interdependence"; population policy is 
described as a key to "sustainable economic and social development". The 
importance of demographic problems has long been known and rarely disputed, 
and so the scarce attention paid to population issues in Council texts may 
seem surprising, though it doubtless mirrors the small number of Commission 
or Member State cooperation schemes in this area. 
The 1992 resolution on family planning goes some way to rectifying this 
"oversight". The emphasis is placed on the main area of intervention, the 
need for additional resources and procedures for policy and operational 
coordination between the Community and the Member States. 
4.5. Conclusions and recommendations 
The 1986 resolution is certainly a good resolution in terms of a conceptual 
framework and it does not seem worthwhile repeating the exercise. But the 
resolution is fairly general with little to say about the operational side: 
the specific case of family planning shows illustrates that moving from the 
general to the particular in policy-making is a complex business. 
While this step-by-step exercise could certainly be reproduced for other 
specific areas of population policy (employment policy, for instance), it 
might be premature at this point. First, population problems should be 
studied in further detail, certainly region by region, in order to 
establish strategies for action. On this basis work on specific themes 
could be pursued in accordance with the real order of priorities. 
- 20 
5. Role and status of women 
Between 1992 and 1990 the Council (development) adopted six sets of 
conclusions (but no resolution) on "women in development", putting this 
subject in third place (after environment) in terms of number of texts 
adopted since 1981. 
5.1. Main principles and guidelines 
The conclusions of November 1982 give some explanation of the need to take 
account of the situation of women in development cooperaton. Despite their 
key economic role in developing countries, women are all too often 
disadvantaged and enjoy few of the fruits of development or aid, which may 
sometimes even have adverse effects on them. Their involvement and 
integration in the development process and all development projects and 
programmes should be encouraged with the aim of improving the selection and 
planning of projects or offsetting any negative effects on women. 
These objectives entail participation of the local population, including 
women, in all phases of projects, support for local women's organizations, 
and establishment of appropriate procedures, especially for project 
preparation and evaluation. The Council's conclusions cite a number of 
suitable areas for action in favour of women: job creation and 
income-generating activities, health and education, i.e. "social" action, 
particularly as a component of rural development projects. 
The other five sets of conclusions, adopted between 1985 and 1990, add 
little to what was said in 1982: some details of administrative aspects and 
a certain emphasis on agricultural and food projects in the April 1986 
conclusions and reiteration of the importance of non-rural sectors as well 
in May 1989. In response to the Council's request in November 1987 for an 
operational plan of action, the Commission drew up an action programme for 
the ACP countries, which, at the Council's request was extended to other 
developing countries in May 1990. 
5.2. Remarks on content 
The 1982 conclusions are by far the most comprehensive and detailed text on 
the subject, the others merely looking at one or another aspect or 
developing some detail or other. This first text thus appears to cover the 
subject reasonably well, since nothing of great importance has since been 
added to what the Council had to say ten years ago. 
These texts have provided a basis for Community action and policy-making in 
the form of the fourth Lomé Convention and the Council's guidelines for 
cooperation with Asian and Latin American countries. Although they have 
barely touch the operational aspects, and even though the variety of 
contexts - regional, socio-cultural, type of project, etc. - make it 
difficult to lay down detailed objectives and criteria applicable in all 
cases, the Council's policy guidelines have been translated into 
operational terms in the form of Commission manuals on the integration of 
women in EDF projects (rural development projects above all) and on the 
Asian and Latin American countries. 
- 21 -
Let us conclude by remarking that in recent years discrimination against 
women has worsened in many countries as a result of factors such as the 
recession, growing urbanization, the spread of AIDS and the migration of 
men. Since awareness of some of the political, legal, social and cultural 
aspects of these developments has grown only recently, they do not figure 
largely in the Council texts, which focus on economic aspects. 
5.3. Remarks on coordination 
The Council's conclusions remain rather vague on the subject of 
coordination between the Community and its Member States, merely referring 
on each occasion to the usefulness of regular meetings of experts to 
exchange information on the Member States' activities and the 
implementation of the Council's conclusions. Only the 1987 text tries to 
make the scope of these meetings more ambitious by extending them to 
evaluation, but this was not followed up. 
While the diversity of situations, constraints and areas of policy call for 
procedures with a degree of flexibility, closer operational coordination 
between the Commission and the Member States would make for more efficient 
implementation of the Council's guidelines. 
5.4. Relevance to the present and priority 
This is one of the few priority areas that is barely mentioned in the 
Commission communication on development policy in the run-up to 2000. 
Obviously this does not mean that it is not an important subject. 
"Women in development" is important today for the implications it has for 
many areas of development cooperation and as a result of developments in 
thinking on the subject. To the long recognized social and economic 
dimension has been added a "women's rights" dimension, to which it would be 
wise to make specific mention in the annual review of the implementation of 
the 1991 resolution on democracy and human rights. On a more general note, 
women in development issues are similar to environmental ones in that they 
mainly involve application of a number of criteria and considerations to 
the whole gamut of development operations in other areas with their own 
objectives. 
5.5. Conclusions and recommendations 
The role of women in development, rather than being given special priority, 
is something that should be taken into account across the board when laying 
down objectives and means to achieve them in other areas singled out as 
development cooperation priorities, such as food security, health and human 
rights, In each of these areas specific objectives regarding impact on 
women should be fixed. 
Furthermore, as in other areas, there is a need for regular reviews of the 
progress made by the Commission and the Member States in implementing the 
conclusions on women in development adopted by the Council, and more 
coordination on operations and their evaluation will be required to do 
this. 
- 22 -
6. Education and training 
The Council has not yet adopted any text on education and training in 
developing countries or what the Community and its Member States could do 
in this f ield. 
The section on the objectives of development cooperation in the Commission 
communication of May 1992 explicitly highlights the priority that should be 
given to education in connection with the objective of combating poverty 
(section 38) and implicitly recognizes it as one of the conditions of 
sustainable economic and social development (development of human 
resources, section 36). These are two complementary aspects, which, 
however, do not exhaust the subject: 
promotion of access for all (and especially the poor where they are 
excluded) to a social service which is also and above all a 
fundamental human right; 
sustainable provision of the most important factor of production 
(especially in development), namely the human factor, something 
that is true in all fields and at all appropriate levels of skills; 
education and training undoubtedly have a role to play, more 
indirect perhaps but still important, in areas that are not 
strictly economic or social and are related to the process of 
democratization: this more "political" aspect of education is 
emphasized in the annex to the May 1992 Commission communication 
(1.5.2). 
Comprehensive, consistent and long-term education and training policies 
that further these complex objectives need to be established and/or 
supported in the developing countries, and this is perhaps the most 
important medium- to long-term development priority. Even if the actual 
content of these policies and the means to be deployed may vary widely from 
one country to another, and must be decided by each individual country, the 
general principles and criteria for setting objectives and priorities would 
benefit from being clearly set out in a Council resolution setting the 
guidelines for Community and Member State cooperation in this field. 
On the more specific question of intra-Community coordination of 
cooperation policies in this area, there does not appear to be at present 
any common framework for the efforts of the Community and the Member 
States, even as regards priorities and general objectives. It may, 
however, be hoped that a stepping-up of coordination here might go far 
towards rendering the efforts of all the parties more compatible and 
complementary, so bringing significant benefits in terms of effectiveness. 
The possibility of dealing with research, another key condition for 
sustainable development and another area prone to one-off projects, under 
the same umbrella should also be considered. 
In conclusion, education and training (and research) policies should 
constitute one of the priorities for the Council's future efforts to 
coordinate the policies of the Community and its Member States. 
- 23 -
7. Employment 
There is not yet any Council (development) text dealing with employment in 
the developing countries or what the Community and its Member States could 
dointhisfield. 
Although there is no specific analysis of employment issues as such in the 
May 1992 Commission communication, there is no doubt about their importance 
for the overall objectives of development policy, something which is 
particularly evident in the context of efforts to combat poverty and reduce 
inequalities, mainly through income-generating activities. Note that 
employment has been recognized as one of the four main components of the 
"social dimension to structural adjustment" along with food security, 
health and education and training). 
The link with the objective of sustainable economic and social development 
is certainly just as important, particularly in the context of the 
unavoidable restructuring of the economic fabric to create productive jobs, 
for instance through the development of labour-intensive sectors and 
technologies, support for small businesses and microenterprises (especially 
in the informal sector) and easier conditions on access to credit. 
Unemployment has considerable implications for the objective of 
consolidating democracy. 
Despite the importance of employment for development, it would be worth 
adopting a Council text on the subject only if there were "comparative 
advantages" in the form of greater effectiveness as a result of stepped-up 
coordination. Such advantages are not easy to demonstrate, since 
employment is a "horizontal" theme to which most Member States have not 
paid specific attention, apart from some programmes to promote small and 
medium-sized enterprises. 
Although the situation might be rather different from that of "women in 
development," the conclusions at present are of the same nature: it does 
not appear to be a matter of priority to adopt a resolution aimed at 
stepping up coordination of employment policies, but, initially at least, 
there should be explicit reference to employment issues in texts dealing 
with other areas. Of those singled out as priorities in this 
communication, these merit a special mention: 
food security and agricultural and rural development policies: 
while there is potential, and often need, for jobs, they are not 
the object of agricultural production as such but a related 
objective; 
education and training: as mentioned in the previous section, this 
priority is justified not only on social grounds but also by its 
importance for economic development; 
combating poverty: an area where the creation of jobs and income-
generating activities is crucial if aid efforts are to go beyond 
mere char i ty. 
- 24 -
8. Structural adjustment and counterpart funds 
With four resolutions and a "common position" on the subject, structural 
adjustment is one of the subjects most discussed by the Council 
(development) since 1987. This section is not, however, as detailed as 
previous sections nor does it provide a critical analysis of the content of 
the relevant texts, since it would be superfluous in a document drawn up to 
identify priority areas for future policy coordination. What distinguishes 
structural adjustment from other areas examined in this document is that it 
is an area where coordination is already well advanced, at least as regards 
Council texts, which are the main instrument for coordinating 
pol icy-making. 
The first two texts adopted by the Council (in November 1987 and May 1988) 
set out the main objectives and means for Community involvement in the 
structural adjustment process in sub-Saharan Africa, and the essential 
features of the Community approach. The May 1991 resolution laid down 
general principles and arrangements for using the counterpart funds 
generated by various development aid instruments so as to complement 
structural adjustment programmes. The May 1992 resolution basically 
condenses the conclusions and principles of previous texts, adding a few 
further details about the flexibility of the Community approach. 
The May 1989 resolution on strengthening coordination on structural 
adjustment support is still the most comprehensive and detailed text 
adopted by the Council (development) on coordination between the Community 
and its Members and, particularly important in the field, with other 
countries and organizations. The objectives and operational procedures are 
set out in some detail (though there is little that is binding) and so a 
fresh Council resolution on the subject is unlikely to add much of 
substance, other than flesh out aspects of monitoring, evaluation and 
checks on the implementation of the texts. 
Structural adjustment is undoubtedly a priority of development policy. 
This emerges clearly from the May 1992 Commission communication, where 
adjustment is directly connected to two of the three prongs of sustainable 
economic and social development (macroeconomic balances and overhaul of the 
economic fabric) and has a more or less direct connection with all the 
other objectives, especially those pertaining to integration into the world 
economy. Thus, there is no pressing need for new Council decisions in this 
sphere simply because the basis for action is essentially in place. 
This does not mean that there might not be a need for Council texts on more 
specific points that are linked to, or components of, the structural 
adjustment process - commercial policy springs to mind (see Section 11), as 
do debt-related problems and the question of external financing in general 
(see Section 13), the respective roles of the public and private sectors, 
and the forms and pace of economic liberalization (see Section 10). 
- 25 -
9. Democracy and human rights 
As in the case of structural adjustment, there is no real need for a 
detailed analysis of Council resolutions on democracy and human rights in 
this communication. The Council declaration of November 1992 notes 
(section 21) that the Community and its Member States "have already 
endorsed such an approach" (i.e. policy coordination) to this issue. 
The Council adopted resolutions on democracy and human rights in November 
1991 and November 1992, although the latter simply dealt with 
implementation of the former (to be reviewed annually by the Council). The 
main principles, objectives and procedures for action in this area are thus 
to be found in the 1991 resolution. 
There are doubtless shortcomings or lack of detail in the 1991 text, which 
does not venture far into the operational aspects or the practicalities of 
coordination between the Community and the Member States, especially 
considering the responsibilities of certain Member States in the politics 
of developing countries, especially those in Africa. This remark also 
applies to military issues, since there is ample reference to reduced 
military expenditure but nothing about the supply of arms. 
But overall, the November 1991 resolution doubtless goes as far as possible 
in developing the Community's approach to these issues, and adoption of a 
more binding or more explicit text seems highly unlikely. The 1991 text 
also offers the possibility of sufficient flexibility on issues such as the 
different ways and means of moving towards democracy (although such 
differences are not explicitly recognized) or forms of Community action 
(although the stress is clearly on "positive" measures). We may therefore 
conclude that, despite some shortcomings, the resolution is quite adequate 
for the objectives set out, inter alia, in the Commission communication on 
development cooperation policy in the run-up to 2000. 
- 26 -
10. Role of the private sector 
There is only one Council text on this key issue for development policy and 
cooperation, the fairly general conclusions of May 1987. For the record, 
however, we should mention the texts concerning the ACP States, above all 
the common position adopted in November 1992 on investment protection, 
which paved the way for a more active, concerted policy on the part of the 
Member States and the Commission to encourage the ACP States to take 
practical steps to promote European investment in their countries. 
Discussions are under way that may make it possible to extend this approach 
to other developing countries. Efforts are also being made to coordinate 
projects for small and medium-sized businesses and support for 
pr ivat isat ion. 
Development of the private sector and a market economy, together with a 
rethinking of the role of the state, are explicitly mentioned among the 
priority objectives of the Commission's May 1992 communication on 
development policy in the run-up to 2000, especially in connection with 
sustainable development (and also competitiveness, see annex). The May 
1987 resolution "requests the Commission to submit at a later date both the 
outcome of this examination (of the contribution of the private sector) and 
any more specific proposals." 
The need for a clear, detailed text (though not a dogmatic one - see the 
oblique reference to "developments in current thinking" in Section 2 of the 
existing text) on this rather controversial subject, which has considerable 
economic, social and political implications, is as obvious as the 
difficulty of drafting one. It is needed because without one the Community 
could end up merely following the far more clear-cut line on this subject 
adopted by some other donors (such as the World Bank and IMF). It is 
difficult because of the controversial, highly political nature of the 
issues, the wide range of situations to deal with, and the preferences of 
the developing countries themselves, all of which threatens to make the 
opportunity cost of such a text prohibitively high compared with the 
uncertain - to say the least - gains of greater coordination. All in all, 
the Community's approach should remain flexible to allow for adjustments to 
national and regional situations and the preferences of the countries 
concerned. 
To sum up, the best compromise solution would appear to be the inclusion of 
a more detailed and explicit discussion of the criteria for defining the 
roles of the public and private sectors in a future resolution on policy 
towards structural adjustment (the main instrument in this area). At the 
same time, various forms of operational coordination between the Community 
and the Member States, whether at national or regional level, could be 
arranged for more specific issues such as investment promotion and 
protection, ways of supporting small businesses, the conditions for 
creating effective credit systems and ways of supporting privatisation 
exper iments. 
- 27 
11 Trade relations 
The Council adopted conclusions on the subject of trade relations in June 
1984 and April 1986. Both dealt in particular with promoting developing 
countries' trade. It should be added that the first texts adopted by the 
Council (development) in 1974 were three resolutions relating respectively 
to export promotion, improvment of the generalized preferences scheme and 
commodity agreements. Their content is of course substantially out of 
date. 
11.1 Main principles and guidelines 
The general aim of trade promotion is the "development of trade in goods 
and services" in developing countries. The central idea of the conclusions 
in question is to encourage the incorporation of trade promotion for 
developing countries into wider strategies and programmes. 
Priority should thus be given to measures which form part of overall 
policies, to assisting in the framing of such overall policies (notably 
"coherent trade policies"), to supporting regional programmes for the 
promotion of trade between developing countries, and to including marketing 
and distribution considerations systematically in production programmes 
(particularly those relating to agriculture, food production and rural 
development). A number of more specifically targeted types of operation 
are also of course mentioned (assistance for local trade-promotion 
organizations, training programmes, application of standards and 
participation in fairs and exhibitions). 
11.2 Remarks on content 
Because flexibility is needed to cope with the wide variety of situations 
(the 1986 conclusions deal with cooperation with the ACP States, with the 
southern and eastern Mediterranean and with Asia and Latin America), the 
two sets of Council conclusions deal with the basis of trade promotion, 
against the background of development cooperation projects and programmes. 
As a result, despite the apparently very wide general objective of the 
conclusions, their explicit scope is in fact fairly limited, being confined 
to "trade promotion" and not extending to trade relations or policy. 
11.3 Remarks on coordination 
The two sets of Council conclusions on trade promotion devote considerably 
more attention to coordination than those on many other subjects. 
Provision is obviously made here, as is usual in all areas, for information 
meetings between experts, but the 1986 conclusions specify that exchanges 
of information should be reciprocal and take place "in an initial stage" of 
a project or programme. They recommend that "a suitable forum" should be 
established, and that it should meet regularly to "coordinate programmes, 
monitor action (...) and give general guidelines". These are aims which 
seem to go well beyond what is usual for information meetings and bear a 
greater resemblance to a policy coordination procedure. 
- 28 -
In addition to these regular meetings, the conclusions recommend systematic 
on_the-spot consultation (with embassies and delegations). Outside the 
Community, coordination with some international organizations should be 
stepped up. 
The main shortcoming of the conclusions' findings on coordination does not 
therefore lie, as in other instances, in vagueness concerning aims and 
procedures, but in the difficulty in applying those findings on the ground. 
11.4 Relevance to the present and priority 
In the Commission's communication on development policy in the run-up to 
2000, trade relations in general occupy special place, which contrasts 
with the rather modest attention devoted to them in the texts adopted by 
the Council. Not only does trade constitute the only means mentioned of 
integrating the developing countries into the world economy (one of the 
four major objectives of development cooperation - Section 37), it is a I so 
emphasized in the conclusions of the communication as a measure of the 
credibility of the dialogue with the developing countries. The issue of 
trade is moreover dealt with in greater depth in the Annex to the 
communication (particularly Sections 1.1.3, 2.2.2, 3.2.2 C and 3.2.2 D; the 
last two of these being two of the "major themes of a development 
cooperation strategy"). 
Trade policy (the Community's in particular) towards developing countries 
and its compatibility with overall development cooperation policy is a 
complex question. It is a pity it has not been dealt with in specific 
terms by the Council so far, particularly since the beginning of the 
Uruguay Round in 1986. The success of the Round is after all vital for 
developing countries, particularly the smallest of them, which have a 
pressing need for foreign markets. 
This matter, plus that of the developing countries' own trade policies, 
will be dealt with in a forthcoming Commission communication on cohesion 
between development cooperation policies and other Community policies and 
their effects on developing countries. This link with other Community 
policies was called for by the Council in its November 1992 declaration. 
Another area deserving of a mention here is the world commodity market, 
which is still the main source of foreign funds for many developing 
countries, especially the poorest. In the light of the scale not just of 
Community trade but also of Community cooperation activities in the field 
of commodities (particularly in its relations with the ACP countries), it 
may seem surprising that the Council has not adopted a text on the issue in 
general and the future of commodities agreements in particular. 
These considerations should undoubtedly be tied in with the prospects for 
regional cooperation and possibly even integration within certain groups of 
developing countries. This is a matter often mentioned in Council 
resolutions, but no specific document has yet been devoted to it. The 
Community is likely to be able to play a major role in this regard. 
- 29 -
1.1.5 Conclusions and recommendations 
The conclusions adopted by the Council since 1981 have dealt with only one 
aspect of trade relations with developing countries: that of trade 
promotion. As a result, there is no reasonably recent text which sets out 
a clear common position of the Community and its Member States on trade in 
general and its relationship to development policy. 
The priority given to this matter is of course a result of the fact that it 
is vital to the fulfilment of one at least of the major objectives of 
development cooperation: a smooth integration of the developing countries 
into the world economy. Another justification is the obvious advantage of 
close policy coordination in this field, because of its strong connection 
with a policy within the Community's field of competance (Community trade 
policy) and also with activities related to structural adjustment 
programmes, which can themselves be effective only if backed by such 
coordinat ion. 
As is the case with other issues (debt, for example, which is discussed 
further on) it is obvious that a Council resolution on this issue must go 
beyond the framework of development cooperation policy proper. In more 
precise terms, the links between development cooperation and other 
Community policies, particularly where trade is concerned, must be set out 
clear I y and expl ici 11 y. 
- 30 -
12 Combating poverty 
In its declaration of 18 November 1992, the Council pointed out that 
combating poverty was one of the four major objectives of development 
cooperation referred to in Article 130u of the Treaty on European Union, 
and asked the Commission to make proposals on the subject for transmission 
to the Council in time for its next session. Whatever Community strategy 
then emerges will provide a framework which ensures cohesion between the 
specific policies of the Community and of the Member States in the many 
areas connected with this issue. 
The Commission consequently organized a meeting of Member State experts and 
prepared a working paper entitled "Towards Coordinated Action by the 
Community and the Member States in Fighting Poverty in the Developing 
Countries" in order to enable the Council to adopt a resolution on the 
matter during 1993. For that reason, poverty is not dealt with in this 
communication, although it is obviously a future priority from the point of 
view of policy coordination. 
- 31 -
13 Development aid and foreign debt 
The only texts so far adopted by the Council (development) on the external 
financing of development are three 1974 resolutions on the volume of aid, 
aid conditions and foreign debt, and a recommendation adopted in the same 
year on the subject of the geographical distribution of aid. These are 
obviously areas which will have changed enough in nearly twenty years to 
justify an in-depth examination with a view to adopting common positions. 
In its May 1992 communication on development cooperation policy in the run­
up to 2000, the Commission points out that "availability of foreign 
exchange has become the main brake on growth", particularly in Latin 
America and Asia. ODA is one of the most regular (and sometimes most 
substantial) sources of foreign exchange for many developing countries, 
while debt servicing costs involve equal or greater amounts in some cases. 
The importance of the role of aid to many developing countries, as well as 
the seriousness of the foreign debt problem and its lasting effect on 
development prospects are now widely recognized; these matters are 
investigated in some detail in the Annex to the May 1922 communication (see 
Sections 1.1.4, 1.1.5, 1.3, 1.4.1.2, 1.4.2.2 and 2.2.3 in particular). 
The issue of aid and debt is not mentioned in the section of the 
communication which sets out the major objectives of development 
cooperation, not even within the context of the aim of integrating the 
developing countries into the world economy. There is an easy explanation 
for this: it is not an issue which in itself constitutes an objective of 
development. This does not, however, alter the fact that the problem of 
aid and debt must be resolved as a precondition for fulfilling any 
development objective, not least a "smooth integration into the world 
economy". For this reason if no other, the Council should express an 
opinion on these vital issues - vital because all other specific, sectoral 
or horizontal aims are dependent on them to some degree. Matters such as 
the volume of development aid, the criteria for the geographical 
distribution of aid, the choice of channels for the choice of channels for 
distributing it, the use of tied aid and the link between aid and 
indebtedness are concerns which come lie upstream of policies on 
cooperation in specific areas. 
- 32 
14 Other matters covered by the Council texts 
The areas listed below (14.1 to 14.3) have been dealt with only in a 
marginal manner and/or cannot be considered to play a role in determining 
priority areas for greater coordination. 
14.1 Emergency aid 
The Council (development) has adopted a number of resolutions on emergency 
aid (in particular that of November 1991, which updates that of March 
1977). This highly specialized area is currently the subject of 
discussions between the Council and the appropriate departments of the 
Comm i ss i on. 
14.2 Cooperation with non-governmental organizations 
The Council recently adopted two texts on cooperation with NGOs (a 
resolution in May 1991 and conclusions in November 1992). They emphasize 
the importance of the role of NGOs, both in terms of the support for 
development cooperation which they elicit from European public opinion, and 
in terms of the grassroots-level relations they form with the people of 
developing countries. The second of these is of particular importance in 
such areas of cooperation as emergency aid, environmental protection, 
promotion of the status of women and support for democracy and human 
rights. 
These texts do not mention coordination between the Community and the 
Member States, which is not in fact a significant problem in this field. 
14.3 increasing public awareness 
In its May 1987 conclusions on promoting public awareness of development 
issues in the Community, the Council mentions the opportunity for joint 
action on the part of the Community and Member States, on a non-binding but 
systematic basis. There would be meetings between Community and Member 
State experts in order to set up such action. 
- 33 -
14.4 Programming and evaluation 
Three sets of Council conclusions have dealt with programming in the 
context of Lomé III (April and November 1986) and Lomé IV (May 1992). They 
recap the main priorities of the Conventions and emphasize the need for 
greater coordination between the Commission and the Member States. 
Three further sets of Council conclusions have dealt with evaluating 
development cooperation (May 1989, May 1990 and May 1992), following the 
November 1987 guidelines). All the texts stress the importance of regular 
monitoring and evaluation at every stage of a project or programme. They 
also draw attention to the need for procedures which allow for close 
coordination between the Commission and the Member States for exchanging 
information on methods and results, performing evaluations, discussing 
evaluation reports from the Commission and Member States and even 
performing evaluations jointly. 
It is worth mentioning that project and programme evaluation in the context 
of the Lomé Conventions has been based in recent years on basi c pr i nci pies 
for each sector, approved at regular intervals by the ACP-EEC Council of 
Mini sters. 
In more general terms, as has been remarked in the case of most of the 
specific areas dealt with, it seems advisable for the Council to endow 
itself with the means to make regular checks on the practical 
implementation of its own resolutions by those involved. 
The Council adopted a resolution (June 1984) and conclusions (November 
1985) on coordination in general cooperation matters. The texts, which 
cover cooperation with developing countries as a whole (ACP and other) are 
chiefly concerned with operational coordination (as opposed to policy 
coordination), as this is considered a priority, and lay emphasis on the 
implementation of sectoral policies. 
"A la carte coordination on a voluntary basis" at various levels will first 
and foremost improve the flow of information between the Commission and 
Member State governments (the flow should be in both directions, but more 
emphasis is placed on the Commission providing the Member States with 
information) and bring about more regular contact between representatives 
on the ground. "Active" coordination to support sectoral policies is 
mentioned only incidentally in the 1984 Resolution. The Council agreed to 
return to the matter "once the programming laid down in the Lomé Convention 
(had) been concluded in 1986"... 
It should be pointed out that the Council (development) adopted a 
Resolution on harmonization and coordination of the cooperation policies of 
che Member States in 1974. Attention was already being drawn at that time 
to the importance of coordinating and even bringing about a convergence of 
development cooperation policies, this in order to improve effectiveness. 
- 34 -
General conclusions 
As a result of the critical review of Council resolutions and conclusions 
adopted since 1981 and in the light of the analysis given in the Commission 
communication on development cooperation policy in the run-up to 2000, it 
has been possible to establish a number of overall priority areas which 
would benefit from future policy coordination between the Community and its 
Member States and several areas of partial or "horizontal" priority which 
could usefully be incorporated in policy decisions on other areas. 
Three sectoral and two general development policy areas are proposed as 
priorities for policy coordination. Existing Council texts on four of 
them are unsatisfactory while the text on the fifth area (food security) 
needs to be updated: 
health pol i cies. widely acknowledged as a social priority, for 
which existing texts are extremely inadequate and which would 
benefit greatly from policy and operational coordination; 
education and training policies. a top priority area for 
sustainable development which is not covered by any Council text 
and which requires coordination at least as regards the general 
objectives and basic criteria for formulating consistent and 
sustainable general policies and for the attendant choice of 
programmes and projects; 
food security policies, for which coordination objectives and 
arrangements need to be spelt out and specific priorities and aims 
established, possibly with regional nuances and certainly 
incorporating food aid more fully in long-term food strategies; 
the campaign against poverty, in itself one of the major objectives 
of development cooperation and which of course covers several more 
specific areas such as those mentioned above and also employment 
pol i cies-, 
external financing and debt issues, an area which to a degree 
affects operations in all other areas, even if it does not in 
itself constitute a development objective. 
In several other areas, the resolutions or conclusions already adopted by 
the Council are still pertinent, but could usefully be supplemented by new 
texts on aspects so far not dealt with in sufficient detail. This is 
particularly true of env i ronment POI i c i es. where coordination issues should 
be reviewed in the light of the UNCED results of June 1992 and emphasis 
laid on the effective implementation of political decisions. This comment 
also applies, but less urgently, to POPUI at ion pol i cies and the status of 
women. 
In addition, at least two "horizontal areas" which are of considerable 
importance for the major development objectives, namely employment policies 
and the role of the private sector, have so far not received the attention 
35 -
they deserve in Council texts and could at least initially be incorporated 
in a wider context, such as employment as part of the campaign against 
poverty or the role of the private sector in structural adjustment. 
Trade relations and policies are another priority area for development, 
particularly in terms of the objective of integration into the world 
economy, of which only a fairly minor aspect is covered by existing Council 
texts. It would, however, be better dealt with in a future communication 
on the links between the various Community instruments than in this 
communication on policy coordination. 
In two major areas of general policy, namely structural adjustment and 
democracy and human rights, the political bases for greater coordination 
already exist so that priority should instead be given to pursuing and 
improving the operational implementation of these policies. 
This also applies to all the areas for which Council (development) texts 
exist or will exist, whatever the degree of priority: it is essential to 
establish follow-up, monitoring and evaluation procedures to ensure that 
the Council's political decisions are given practical application. 
This communication has attempted to identify the priority areas for 
development cooperation policy coordination, mainly by reviewing the 
resolutions and conclusions adopted in the past by the Council. The job is 
not yet done since it must be looked upon as a starting point for work on 
specific areas and because its conclusions, summarized above, depend very 
much on prior identification of development objectives and requirements. 
On this latter point, the main basis used here has been the Commission 
communication of May 1992 on development cooperation policy in the run-up 
to 2000, which is, of course, a very general document so that the specific 
content of many areas and the actual scale of development priorities need 
to be examined in greater detail. 
Without overlooking the need for constant thinking on the general 
objectives of development cooperation policy, this communication points out 
the importance of swiftly establishing the political and operational basis 
for more coordinated and effective action by the Community and the Member 
State in the sectors and areas identified. This entails enhanced 
coordination of Community and Member States' policies, as provided for in 
the Treaty on European Union (Article 130 X). 
ANNEX 
LIST OF TEXTS ADOPTED BY THE COUNCIL 
(MINISTERS FOR DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION) 
BETWEEN 1 JANUARY 1981 AND 31 DECEMBER 1992 
1. Food security 
Resolution of April 1981 on hunger in the world 
Resolution of November 1981 on aid to agricultural production and food aid 
Resolution of November 1983 on food aid policy 
Resolution of November 1984 on famine in Africa 
Resolution of November 1984 on food strategies 
Conclusions of November 1984 on a plan to combat the effects of an 
exceptional drought in the Sahel 
Conclusions of May 1985 on famine in Africa 
Conclusions of May 1985 on a comparative study of the cost/efficiency ratio 
of the various food aid products 
Conclusions of April 1986 on evaluation of support for food strategies 
Conclusions of November 1986 on the implementation of a recovery and 
rehabilitation plan for Africa 
Resolution of November 1988 on food security policy in sub-Saharan Africa 
Resolution of November 1989 on guidelines for food aid 
Conclusions of May 1990 on food aid policy 
2. Health 
Conclusions of May 1987 on combating AIDS in the developing countries 
Conclusions of November 1989 on combating AIDS in the developing countries 
3. Env i ronment 
Resolution of November 1984 on the environmental dimension in Community 
development policy 
Resolution of April 1986 on conservation of natural resources and 
countering desertification in Africa 
Resolution of November 1987 on environment and development 
>£ 
-2-
Conclusions of November 1989 on development and environment - countering 
desertification 
Resolution of November 1989 on other aspects of development and 
environment, including the management and conservation of tropical forests 
Resolution of May 1990 on environment and development 
Resolution of May 1990 on the development of tropical forests 
Statement of November 1991 on development aspects of the United Nations 
Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) 
Conclusions of November 1992 on the follow-up to UNCED - clean and 
efficient energy for development 
4. Population 
Resolution of November 1986 on population and development 
Resolution of November 1992 on family planning in population policies in 
developing countries 
5. The role and status of women 
Conclusions of November 1982 concerning Community development aid in 
relation to the situation of women developing countries 
Conclusions of November 1985 on development aid and the situation of women 
in developing countries 
Conclusions of April 1986 on the role of women in development 
Conclusions of November 1987 on women in development 
Conclusions of May 1989 on women and development 
Conclusions of May 1990 on women and development 
8. Structural adjustment and counterpart funds 
Common position of November 1987 on the special Community programme to aid 
certain highly indebted low-income countries in sub-Saharan Africa 
Hesolution of May 1988 on the economic situation and adjustment process in 
sub-Saharan Africa 
Resolution of May 1989 on coordination in support of structural adjustment 
in the ACP states 
7'7 
-3-
Resolution of May 1991 on the use of counterpart funds generated by the 
various development assistance instruments 
Resolution of May 1992 on structural adjustment 
9. Human rights and democracy 
Resolution of November 1991 on human rights, democracy and development 
Resolution of November 1992 on human rights, democracy and development 
10. Investment and the private sector 
Conclusions of May 1987 on the role of the private sector in the 
development process 
11. Trade 
Conclusions of June 1984 on the promotion of developing countries' trade 
Conclusions of April 1986 on the promotion of developing countries' trade 
14.1 Emergency aid 
Resolution of November 1991 on coordination of emergency aid 
14.2 Cooperation with non-governmental organizations 
Resolution of May 1991 on cooperation with non-governmental organizations 
Resolution of November 1992 on cooperation with non-governmental 
organi zat ions 
14.3 Alerting public opinion in Europe 
Conclusions of May 1987 on increasing public awareness in the Community of 
development questions 
T6 
4-
14.4 Programming and evaluation 
Conclusions of April 1986 on the programming of Community aid in the ACP 
States under Lomé I I I 
Conclusions of November 1986 on the programming of Community aid in the ACP 
States under Lomé I I I 
Guidelines of November 1987 on the evaluation of development cooperation 
Conclusions of May 1989 on cooperation evaluation 
Conclusions of May 1990 on the evaluation of development cooperation 
Conclusions of May 1992 on the programming report 
Conclusions of May 1992 on the evaluation of Community development 
coopérât ion 
14.5 Coordination of cooperation policies and operations 
Resolution of June 1984 on coordination of cooperation policies and 
operations within the Community 
Resolution of November 1985 on coordination of cooperation policies and 
operat ions 
Cooperation with ALA developing countries 
Conclusions of May 1989 on the assessment of financial and technical 
cooperation with Latin American and Asian developing countries 
Conclusions of November 1989 on the review and evaluation of cooperation 
with the developing countries of Latin America and Asia 
(Guidelines of December 1990 and February 1991 for cooperation with the 
developing countries of Latin America and Asia) 
Development cooperation policy 
Declaration of November 1992 on development cooperation policy in the run­
up to 2000 

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COM (93) 123 final 
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