[pic] | COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES |

Brussels, 12.4.2005

SEC(2005) 455

COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT

Annex to the : Communication from the Commission Policy Coherence for Development Accelerating progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals Impact assessment {COM(2005)134 final}

1. THE ISSUE

In September 2005 the UN General Assembly will review progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which were agreed by the world community in 2000. These MDGs have become the central theme of global development cooperation efforts, and the MDG stocktaking at the forthcoming UN High Level Event (HLE) is generally seen as the key international development event of 2005.

The EU has at several occasions underlined the importance of the MDG Review, as a decisive opportunity to accelerate progress towards achieving the MDGs. In November 2004, Council invited the Commission – in preparation of the EU contribution for the HLE – to ‘prepare specific and ambitious proposals for action, in particular in the areas of finance for development, coherence for development and focus on Africa ’.

2. THE OBJECTIVE

The Council conclusions reflect the common understanding that more finance and improved aid delivery are extremely important, but in itself not sufficient to allow the developing world to reach the Millennium Development Goals by the year 2015. For this to happen one shall look beyond the frontiers of development cooperation, and consider the challenge of how non-aid policies can assist developing countries in attaining the MDGs.

3. THE APPROACH

In reply to the Council request to look at options to strengthen the coherence of EU policies in support of attaining the MDGs, the Commission has identified a number of priority areas , where the challenge of attaining synergies with development policy objectives is considered particularly relevant. All these policy areas have a direct relationship with one or more of the MDGs. They are either at the core of an MDG (trade, environment), or hold the potential of contributing to them.

For each of these priority areas the Commission has defined general orientations, or ‘coherence for development commitments’, that it considers relevant contributions to accelerating progress towards the MDGs.

The Commission invites Council, European Parliament and European Social and Economic Committee to confirm its acceptance of these commitments, as a joint engagement of the EU and its Member States towards improved coherence, and a substantial EU contribution towards the MDGs. It also proposes to monitor progress on the implementation of these commitments.

4. THE IMPACT

To a considerable extent the above coherence commitments already steer EU policies. The commitments as such are not new. A lot of action has already been undertaken, and many new actions have already been planned.

What is new however, and what provides the raison d’etre for this Communication, is that these commitments and actions are assessed within the framework of global efforts to achieve the MDGs. By recognising that these policy objectives shall be considered as Coherence for Development Commitments in the context of the MDGs, the EU reconfirms and strengthens its engagement to effectively deliver on these orientations, within the given MDG timeframe between now and 2015.

5. MONITORING

The Communication proposes to monitor progress on the EU coherence commitments in the context of MDGs.

To further enhance EU policy coherence in the specific context of supporting the MDGs, the Commission will compile a mid-term EU Policy Coherence for Development Report , between now and the next international MDG Review, where progress on the coherence commitments proposed in this Communication will be reviewed.

6. STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION

The Communication replies to a specific Council request, and builds on the national MDG reports prepared by Member States. The agreed common format for these reports contains a separate section on policy coherence. All subjects presented in the Communication are also addressed in Member States reports.

7. THE COMMISSION PROPOSAL

The Commission proposes Council to reconfirm the pro-development commitments in its non-aid policies, to link these commitments to the global MDG project, and to monitor their implementation in the light of attaining the MDGs by the year 2015.