Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on Decentralised cooperation in the reform of the EU's development policy
Date: 2005-11-16
Institutions: European Committee of the Regions
Subjects: aid policy, cooperation policy, development aid, local authority, regional authority

C 115/42

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

16.5.2006

Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on Decentralised cooperation in the reform of the EU's
development policy

(2006/C 115/09)

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS,

HAVING REGARD TO the decision of its Bureau of 5 July 2005 to instruct its Commission for External
Relations (RELEX) to draw up an own-initiative opinion, under the fifth paragraph of Article 265 of the EC
Treaty, on decentralised cooperation in the reform of the EU's development policy;

HAVING REGARD TO the External Relations Strategy of the Committee of the Regions: Guidelines (DI
CdR 8/2005) adopted on 30 June 2005 by the RELEX commission for submission to the Bureau;

HAVING REGARD TO the work programme of the RELEX commission (CdR 62/2005 item 8 appendix
6) adopted by the Bureau at its meeting on 12 April 2005, in particular Article 1.3;

HAVING REGARD TO its opinion of 23 February 2005 on the Communication from the Commission
on the social dimension of globalisation (CdR 328/2004 fin) (1);

HAVING REGARD TO its opinion of 9 October 2003 on the Communication from the Commission on
trade and development — assisting developing countries to benefit from trade (CdR 100/2003 fin) (2);

HAVING REGARD TO its opinion of 3 July 2003 on the impact on local and regional authorities of the
negotiations on the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) at the WTO (CdR 103/2003 fin) (3);

HAVING REGARD TO Articles 177 to 181 of the Treaty establishing the European Community;

HAVING REGARD TO the Conclusions of the Council of 23 and 24 May 2005 endorsing the Commis-
sion Communications of 12 April 2005;

HAVING REGARD TO the Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parlia-
ment and the European Economic and Social Committee on Speeding up progress towards the Millennium
Development Goals — the European Union's contribution COM (2005) 132 final of 12 April 2005;

HAVING REGARD TO the results of the consultation on the future of EU development policy launched
by the Commission on 7 January 2005;

HAVING REGARD TO the Conclusions of the Brussels European Council of 16 and 17 June 2005
(10255/05), in particular Point IV;

HAVING REGARD TO the revised Cotonou Agreement signed on 25 June 2005;

HAVING REGARD TO the Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parlia-
ment, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions — Proposal for a
joint declaration by the Council, the European Parliament and the Commission on the European Develop-
ment Policy ‘The European Consensus’ COM(2005) 311 final of 13 July 2005;

HAVING REGARD TO the report presented on 21 March 2005 by the Secretary-General of the United
Nations on the progress made towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals, discussed at the UN
Summit in New York in September 2005;

HAVING REGARD TO its draft opinion (CdR 224/2005) adopted on 15 September 2005 by the
Commission for External Relations (rapporteur: Ms Juliette Soulabaille, Mayor of Corps-Nuds, FR/PES);

(1) OJ C 164 of 5.7.2005, p. 82.
(2) OJ C 23 of 27.1.2004, p.8.
(3) OJ C 256 of 24.10.2003, p.83.

16.5.2006

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 115/43

WHEREAS

1)

2)

3)

the Committee of the Regions should speak out on an institutional level about the specific nature of
the decentralised development cooperation projects carried out by European regional authorities;

it is important to take into account the specialised contribution of actors who, by definition, are
experienced in development and in organising democracy which meets public needs and expecta-
tions, in order to ensure that the EU's work towards achieving the global objectives of the fight
against poverty is both relevant and effective;

the Commission has submitted its proposal for a joint declaration by the Council, the European
Parliament and the Commission on the European Development Policy ‘The European Consensus’
COM(2005) 311 final;

adopted the following opinion unanimously at
17 November 2005 (meeting of 16 November):

its 62nd plenary session, held on 16 and

1. Views of the Committee of the Regions

1.1 European Development Policy

The Committee of the Regions,

1.1.1
recalls that the Community's Development Policy is
enshrined in Articles 177 to 181 of the Treaty and that it
constitutes a key component of the European Union's external
action;

1.1.2
supports the reform of the European Development
Policy adopted in November 2000, which was conceived in a
spirit of partnership with beneficiary countries, focussing on
the fight against global poverty and reaffirming its commitment
to democracy and human rights; highlights the importance of
the UN Millennium Goals and their focus on fighting poverty;
these ambitious goals cannot be achieved
underlines that
without the active participation of local and regional authori-
ties; this should be stated clearly and local and regional authori-
ties should be given an explicitly important role in develop-
ment cooperation efforts.

1.1.3 welcomes the measures taken to increase the visibility
and effectiveness of European aid, as well as its appropriation
by beneficiary countries (the drawing up of real, multi-annual
development strategies, the creation of EuropeAid and the now
effective deconcentration of European programmes to the
Commission Delegations);

1.1.5
regrets that the Commission, in its Communication of
2002 on the participation of non-state actors (NSAs) in EC
development policy (4) and commitment, expressed therein, to
the ownership of its programmes by the citizens of the coun-
tries concerned, has only taken civil society organisations into
account, overlooking the contribution of local authorities;

1.1.6
therefore welcomes the new direction brought to this
approach by the recent amendment of the Cotonou Agreement
its midterm review (5), particularly in Article 4, which
at
extends the provisions previously only laid down for NSAs to
‘local decentralised authorities’.

1.2 The role of decentralised cooperation

The Committee of the Regions,

defines‘decentralised cooperation’

1.2.1
international
cooperation led by European local authorities (as defined by
the respective Member State's legislation) under the direction of
their democratically elected executive and involving local stake-
holders distinct from both central state government and civil
society;

as

1.1.4
notes that the European Union's Development Policy
today concerns an internationally agreed list of 151 countries
and territories, and operates through multiple geographical and
thematic programmes and, in the case of the ACP countries,
through the Cotonou Agreement;

1.2.2
regrets that European local authorities' contribution
to the European Development Policy, as to other external assis-
tance policies, continues to go largely unrecognised;

(4) COM (2002) 598 final.
(5) COM (2005) 185 final.

C 115/44

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

16.5.2006

1.2.3
notes that, in particular, this lack of recognition leads
to local authorities being assigned changing roles within the
different programmes connected to development policy, i.e.,

to support peace (‘diplomacy of the cities’). Therefore, their
actions are especially valuable in helping ‘decentralised local
authorities’ of developing countries, to better fulfil the responsi-
bilities conferred on them by decentralisation;

a) certain programmes, such as Urb-Al or Asia Urbs (hence-
forth part of Asia Pro Eco II), assign them a specific role,

b) in the Communication from the Commission of 2002 on
the participation of non-state actors (NSAs) in EC develop-
ment policy, and in the Cotonou Agreement signed in
2000, the local ‘authorities’ are grouped with state actors,
rather than NSAs (non-state actors),

c) while in the Regulation on ‘decentralised cooperation’, the
same ‘local (including municipal) authorities’ are included in
a long list of civil society actors;

stresses that local authorities are perfectly placed to
1.3.4
bring the issue of development aid to the attention of European
citizens and to encourage them to take action;

1.3.5
acknowledges that the diversity of the national provi-
sions, the variety of fields in which local authorities cooperate,
the characteristics of each authority and the varying amounts
of human and financial resources dedicated to decentralised
cooperation have formed a rich and complex picture;

hopes that, when development players other than
1.2.4
governments are taken into consideration, a better balance will
be established between the various civil society organisations
classified as ‘non-state actors’ and local authorities. This is
entirely compatible with the partnerships that are often estab-
lished by authorities with NSAs as part of their decentralised
cooperation.

believes that clarity is a key element in the recogni-
1.3.6
tion of
the contribution made by authorities to the fight
against poverty and to the promotion of democracy, for it
allows decentralised cooperation to be seen not only as a
simple proliferation of actions or programmes but as a local
dimension of a global strategy for national or regional develop-
ment;

1.3 Local authorities as players in development policy

The Committee of the Regions,

1.3.1
stresses that, according to their Member State's
national provisions, European local authorities have for many
years maintained cooperative links with their counterparts in
non-member countries, particularly in developing countries;

1.3.2
notes that whatever the degree of initiative afforded
the authorities, the Member States often offer them various
types of support aimed at strengthening the effectiveness of
their decentralised cooperation and encouraging its coordina-
tion with national development cooperation, thus recognising
the added contribution of the authorities;

1.3.7 welcomes the initiative of local authorities in both
European and developing countries in structuring their coop-
eration on a thematic or geographical basis;

1.3.8 welcomes the creation in 2004 of the international
organisation ‘United Cities and Local Governments’
(UCLG),
now recognised by the United Nations as a representative body,
founded on values of peace, local autonomy and solidarity and
uniting the governments of all regions of the world around the
issue of international cooperation.

1.4 The Proposal for a joint declaration by the Council, the European
Parliament and the Commission on the European Development
Policy ‘The European Consensus’ COM(2005) 311 final

The Committee of the Regions

1.3.3
recalls that authorities bring know-how and experi-
ence to decentralised cooperation due to the diversity of their
in: public health and education services, urban
activities
services
economic development,
territorial
(water, waste),
including through trade, together with the provision of institu-
tional support for local management, experience of local and
regional democracy and functioning democratic institutions,
and fostering heritage, not to mention the role they can play in

thanks the Commission for sending its Proposal for a
1.4.1
joint declaration, which is of great political importance, to the
Committee;

1.4.2 welcomes this submission, considering that in itself it
constitutes a recognition of local authorities as players in Euro-
pean development policy;

16.5.2006

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 115/45

1.4.3
shares the general perspective of the text that ‘globali-
sation is a positive force for all of mankind’, a position it adopted
itself in a previous opinion (6);

e) recognises that better governance is key to a successful
development policy and believes that the key element of
good governance is a recognition that decisions are best
made at the closest level possible to the citizens;

1.4.4 welcomes the desire to strengthen consistency, within
the European Union's development activities, between internal
and external policies (particularly necessary in the fields of
international trade and agriculture) and between action by the
Commission and that of Member States, through the establish-
ment of a ‘thematic framework’ to guide priority selection;

2.2
proposes adoption of the following measures, using the
organisations already established by the authorities to structure
their decentralised cooperation on development, particularly as
part of United Cities and Local Governments, as well as bodies
working to foster decentralised cooperation:

1.4.5 welcomes the explicit mention of the role of local
authorities as actors of
local governance and decentralised
development in a number of selected themes for action, but
feels it could also be mentioned in other fields (namely access
to water);

1.4.6
and the aid for Africa announced by the Commission.

looks forward to the specific text on the situation in,

2. The Committee of the Regions' recommendations

The Committee of the Regions,

recommends that the role of decentralised cooperation

2.1
be considered according to the following principles:

a) the global approach to the fight against global poverty and
efforts to achieve the UN Millennium Goals must include a
clear recognition of local issues and their local resolution;

b) it

is

therefore important

to recognise that authorities
possess, alongside other actors, specific know-how and
experience derived from their powers and responsibilities
vis-à-vis their own citizens;

2.2.1

regarding European local authorities:

a) identify decentralised cooperation operations, a precondition
for increasing appreciation of
its richness among Com-
munity partners, and for encouraging exchanges of experi-
ence and synergies between authorities. The example of the
Observatory on Decentralised Cooperation between the
European Union and Latin America (following a call for
should be
projects
welcomed and considered as a model for other areas of
the world;

launched as part of Urb-Al)

b) encourage the creation of a platform similar to that for
NGOs (CONCORD) to establish political dialogue between
Community institutions and local authorities focussed on
development;

c) facilitate exchanges of

information and discussion
between authorities by providing funding for twinning
programmes between authorities in the EU and in
developing countries;

d) examine in the form of a study the different legislative and
regulatory provisions which, in the different member States,
influence local authorities' actions on international coopera-
tion;

c) for greater

impact, European development policy must
incorporate into its strategies the contribution of actors who
both promote democracy and development and share the
Union's principles of partnership and ownership;

2.2.2
regarding local and regional authorities from devel-
oping countries, application of the general principles of aid to
European development using a decentralised approach:

d) recognises that international development is a two way
process and that as well as having an enormous amount to
contribute to development in terms of ideas and best prac-
tice, Europe's local and regional authorities will also benefit
from greater inter-action and involvement with govern-
ments, local authorities and local communities around the
world in learning from their work and experiences;

(6) CdR 328/2004 fin.

a) with regard to the deconcentration of the Commission's activ-
ities: the Commission delegations should be more aware of
the local dimension, emphasising the complementary
nature of decentralised cooperation compared with that
conducted at state level, and its relevance, given the needs
of the local authorities of the countries concerned, to advan-
In this sense,
cing democratisation and decentralisation.
guidelines could be laid down to monitor this aspect at every
stage of a programme's creation from its conception up to
funding at the implementation stage;

C 115/46

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

16.5.2006

b) to strengthen regional integration, the creation of associations
local elected representatives could be

and networks of
encouraged and aided by their European counterparts;

c) to harmonise aid, ‘country forums’ bringing together European
local authorities that are active in a given country could be
organised. These might be considered for the four countries
where, following decisions made at the March 2002 Barce-
lona Council, the harmonisation of aid between Member
States is being tested;

recommends the inclusion of

2.3
in
driving forward European development policy envisaged by the
Commission; they already know how to play a role, working
with NGOs, in raising public awareness of the issues surrounding
the fight against global poverty through specific actions aimed at
their citizens, especially young people;

local authorities

The Committee of the Regions

is concerned about the changes to be made to the
2.4.1
‘decentralised cooperation’ budget heading from 2007, given
the emphasis placed on countries that have ‘difficult partner-
ships’ with the European Union; this heading is currently (7)
reserved specifically for such countries, despite being allocated
a clearly insufficient amount;

2.4.2
calls for budgetary aid, which should become increas-
ingly important in European aid arrangements, to provide an
opportunity for beneficiary governments to transfer, from the
national budget to local authorities, funds appropriate to the
responsibilities conferred on them by ongoing decentralisation
measures;

2.4
The Proposal for a joint declaration by the Council, the
European Parliament and the Commission on the European
Development Policy ‘The European Consensus’ COM(2005)
311 final

calls on the Commission, at this new stage of the
2.4.3
European union's development policy, to take into considera-
tion the recommendations made in this opinion.

Brussels, 16 November 2005.

The President

of the Committee of the Regions

Peter STRAUB

(7) Council Regulation 625/2004 for the years 2004-2006 – Budget

Heading 21-02-13.