REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL 2020 Annual Report On the implementation of the European Union’s instruments for financing external action in 2019
Date: 2020-12-14
Institutions: Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development, European Commission
Subjects: EU aid, climate change policy, common foreign and security policy, humanitarian aid, international cooperation, international security, migration policy, peacekeeping, sustainable development, the EU's international role

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 14.12.2020  COM(2020) 804 final  REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL 2020 Annual Report  On the implementation of the European Union’s instruments for financing external action in 2019  {SWD(2020) 336 final}  
 
 
Table of contents 
Delivering on global commitments ......................................................................................................... 1 

The EU: a strong global actor .............................................................................................................. 1 

Humanitarian aid ................................................................................................................................ 2 

Implementing the 2030 Agenda ......................................................................................................... 2 

Global priorities ...................................................................................................................................... 3 

Green Deal .......................................................................................................................................... 3 

Alliances for sustainable growth ......................................................................................................... 4 

Human development .......................................................................................................................... 5 

Partnering on migration ...................................................................................................................... 5 

Peace and security .............................................................................................................................. 5 

Human rights, democracy, fundamental values ................................................................................. 6 

Technology and innovation ................................................................................................................. 7 

Global reach ............................................................................................................................................ 7 

Africa ................................................................................................................................................... 7 

Asia, Central Asia and the Pacific ........................................................................................................ 8 

Enlargement region ............................................................................................................................ 8 

European Neighbourhood .................................................................................................................. 9 

Latin America and the Caribbean...................................................................................................... 10 

Middle East Gulf region .................................................................................................................... 11 

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Delivering on global commitments 
In  2019,  geopolitical  instability  persisted,  but  the  European  Union  continued  to  work  to  ensure  a 
more peaceful, just and prosperous world. Our planet and its peoples are undergoing rapid change 
and experiencing environmental, political and technological disruption.  

In  this  increasingly  unsettled  world,  the  EU  has  responded  comprehensively,  using  the  entire 
breadth  of  its  policies  and  tools,  be  they  diplomatic  or  financial,  security  or  trade-related, 
sustainable  development  actions  or  humanitarian  aid.  During  2019,  the  EU  continued  its  work  to 
reform the multilateral system and maintain global leadership for present and future challenges, and 
it increased its cooperation and partnering with regional organisations that are essential for ensuring 
global sustainable development, respect for human rights and effective international cooperation.  

This  report  outlines  key  aspects  of  the  EU’s  financial  support  for  international  cooperation  and 
development, humanitarian aid, foreign policy and enlargement during 20191. It demonstrates how 
the  world’s  largest  trading  bloc  and  biggest  source  of  official  development  assistance  helps  to 
improve the lives of millions of people in over 120 countries worldwide, fights inequality, embraces 
human development, enables young people to fulfil their potential and supports just and sustainable 
growth and societies around the world.  

During  2019,  the  EU  and  its  Member  States  invested  EUR  75.2  billion  in  official  development 
assistance - 55.2% of total global assistance2.  

The EU: a strong global actor 
The  EU  global  strategy  on  foreign  and  security  policy3  enables  the  EU  to  act  collectively  to  tackle 
complex global challenges. While pursuing the five original priorities of the strategy4, in 2019 the EU 
continued to promote a global order based on international law, with the United Nations at its core, 
in partnership with regional organisations.  The ground-breaking trilateral partnership between the 
African  Union,  the  EU  and  the  UN  paved  the  way  for  closer  cooperation  on  the  wider  peace  and 
security agenda, while support for the G5 Sahel Joint Force has shown the importance of investing in 
regional security partnerships. 

In  2019,  the  EU  maintained  a  comprehensive  approach  to  conflicts  and  security  crises  through 
interventions  under  the  Instrument  contributing  to  Stability  and  Peace5  and  through  common 
foreign and security policy actions across the world. These actions covered major crises in countries 
such  as  Afghanistan,  the  Central  African  Republic,  the  Democratic  Republic  of  the  Congo,  Iraq, 
Lebanon,  Libya,  Mali,  Nigeria,  Pakistan,  Somalia,  South  Sudan,  Sudan,  Syria,  Turkey,  Ukraine, 
Venezuela and Yemen. 

The EU is one of the few actors with a global presence and a comprehensive policy toolbox and is 
taking  greater  responsibility  for  its  defence  and  for  assisting  partners  with  peace  and  security. 

1 See the SWD accompanying this Annual Report Part I, Introduction for details. 
2 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_20_674  
3 https://eeas.europa.eu/topics/eu-global-strategy/17304/global-strategy-european-unions-foreign-and-security-policy_en 
4 Security and defence; resilience; an integrated approach; an internal/external nexus; and regional and thematic strategies. 
5 https://ec.europa.eu/fpi/news/eu%E2%80%99s-instrument-contributing-stability-and-peace-icsp_en 

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Advances  on  a  Coordinated  Annual  Review  on  Defence6,  the  Military  Planning  and  Conduct 
Capability7,  the  European  Defence  Industrial  Development  programme,  the  EU–NATO  Joint 
Declaration8 and the Permanent Structured Cooperation9 are significant and historic achievements. 
Within  the  EU  foreign  policy  toolbox,  the  institution-building  efforts,  including  the  Technical 
Assistance  and  Information  Exchange  and  Twinning  tools,  have  continued  to  foster  reform  and 
advance EU strategic policies in partner countries. 

As the world’s largest trading bloc and source of foreign direct investment, the EU continues to work 
with  international  partners  to  promote  a  free  and  fair  international  trading  system,  including 
through reform of the World Trade Organization. 

Humanitarian aid 
In 2019, humanitarian needs remained at a record high due to complex crises, often leading to mass 
displacement of people, natural disasters and epidemics. The EU remained a leading humanitarian 
donor, mobilising EUR 2.4 billion to provide relief to millions of people in more than 80 countries. 

A significant proportion of EU aid assisted crisis-affected people in Syria and neighbouring countries. 
The  Commission  continued  to  implement  the  humanitarian  component  of  the  EU  Facility  for 
Refugees in Turkey10, notably through the Emergency Social Safety Net11. 

In 2019, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism12 was activated 20 times for disasters in and outside the 
EU, including for devastating forest fires in Bolivia, Guatemala, Israel and Lebanon.  

Implementing the 2030 Agenda 
During 2019 and in line with the European Consensus for Development, the EU continued to support 
implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Addis  Ababa Action Agenda 
on  financing  for  development,  and  the  Paris  Agreement  on  Climate  Change  globally,  in  direct 
cooperation with partner countries.  

Rising  inequalities,  growing  hunger,  global  warming,  biodiversity  loss,  social  unrest,  conflicts  and 
migration  are  worsening  trends  and  reflect  across  the  entire  2030  Agenda.  The  2019  Sustainable 
Development  Goals  (SDGs)  Summit  reviewed  progress  and  underlined  the  need  for  a  shift  in 
development  pathways  and  speed to meet  the  2030  deadline.  An EU-ACP  (African,  Caribbean and 
Pacific) Joint Declaration on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs was adopted on 
the margins of the Summit reaffirming commitment to the 2030 Agenda and looking to strengthen 
cooperation to accelerate SDG implementation to leave no one behind. 

At  the  UN  High  Level Political  Forum  in  New  York  in  July,  the  EU  presented  progress  on  the  2030 
Agenda and SDGs in the Union and through EU international cooperation. Key initiatives presented 

6 https://www.eda.europa.eu/what-we-do/our-current-priorities/coordinated-annual-review-on-defence-(card) 
7 https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-8798-2019-INIT/en/pdf 
8 https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2018/07/10/eu-nato-joint-declaration/ 
9 Council Decision (CFSP) 2017/2315 of 11 December 2017 establishing permanent structured cooperation (PESCO) and determining the 
list of participating Member States OJ L 331, 14.12.2017, p. 57 
10 https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/news_corner/migration_en 
11 https://ec.europa.eu/echo/essn_en 
12 https://ec.europa.eu/echo/what/civil-protection/mechanism_en  

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at this event  included the EU  reflection paper  ‘Towards a Sustainable Europe  by 2030’13, the 2019 
Eurostat Monitoring Report on SDG progress, the first Joint Synthesis Report on the 2017 European 
Consensus on Development, and the 2019 EU report on Policy Coherence for Development. 

Joint programming, the joint results frameworks and joint implementation are increasing the impact 
of European funds in achieving the SDGs. During 2019, joint programming documents were launched 
in  the  Central  African  Republic,  Honduras  and  Mali,  while  Cambodia’s  European  development 
cooperation strategy was extended. By December, there were 20 joint programming documents in 
place.  

The  reach  of  institution-building  activities  was  extended  to  countries  covered  by  EU  development 
policies worldwide. The aim was to support EU policy priorities and help countries implement their 
national development strategies in line with EU standards, thus contributing to the achievement of 
the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. 

Global priorities 
At  the  end  of  2019,  the  President  of  the  new  European  Commission  further  anchored  the 
Sustainable  Development  Goals  in  EU  policymaking  and  action,  underlining  the  EU’s  continuing 
commitment to sustainability.  

Green Deal 
The  European  Green  Deal14  presented  at  the  end  of  2019  is  an  integral  part  of  the  Commission’s 
strategy to implement the 2030 Agenda and SDGs and to steer the European economy and society 
towards a more sustainable path. Climate change is one of the prime challenges facing the world, a 
priority for the EU’s external action, and a central theme of the Green Deal.  

During  2019,  the  EU  reinforced  its  approach  on  climate  action  through  programmes  such  as  the 
Global  Climate  Change  Alliance+15  to  build  climate  resilience  in  partner  countries,  in  particular  in 
least developed countries and small island developing states, funding over 80 projects. 

The Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility16 channelled climate finance to over 240 local governments 
representing 6 million people in 14 countries. A scaled-up second phase was launched at the end of 
2019.  

Sustainable energy is key to tackling climate change and is at the heart of the Green Deal. In 2019, 
the  EU  continued  to  support  access  to  sustainable  energy  across  the  world  as  well  as  actions 
towards  energy  efficiency.  In  December,  the  European  Council  endorsed  the  EU’s  goal  to  become 
the first climate-neutral continent by 2050.  

Access  to  water  and  sanitation  is  a  universal  human  right.  In  2019,  the  EU  continued  to  support 
access to water and sanitation, sustainable and integrated water management and capacity building.  

13 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/publications/reflection-paper-towards-sustainable-europe-2030_en  
14 https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal_en 
15 https://www.gcca.eu/ 
16 https://www.uncdf.org/local/homepage 

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Jordan suffers severe water scarcity. EUR 21.5 million from the EU Regional Trust Fund in response 
to the Syrian crisis has improved water and wastewater services for over 1 million people in the Irbid 
Governorate. 

The  EU  promotes  green  business  development  in  key  value  chains  and  supports  finance  for  the 
global circular economy transition. ‘SWITCH to Green’ is the EU’s flagship initiative in this area. 

Loss  of  biodiversity  and  degradation  of  many  ecosystems  is  a  significant  challenge.  The  2019 
Communication  ‘Stepping  up  EU  action  to  protect  and  restore  the  world’s  forests’17  offers  an 
integrated framework to fight deforestation and forest degradation.  

In 2019 the Commission renewed its funding of the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund - the leading 
actor for financing key biodiversity areas around the globe. 

Alliances for sustainable growth 
Working  together  is  key  to  deliver  the  SDGs.  Global  prosperity  can  only  be  achieved  by  decent 
employment  and sustainable economic growth  for all. In 2019, the  EU supported actions such as 
the  ‘Sustainable  investment  climate  and  value  chains  programme  II’  to  fund  global  and  European 
initiatives promoting key aspects of investment climate, trade and private sector development.  

At the heart of the Commission’s External Investment Plan (EIP) is the European Fund for Sustainable 
Development  (EFSD),  which  combines  a  new  guarantee  instrument  with  two  regional  investment 
platforms, the Africa Investment Platform and the Neighbourhood Investment Platform, to support 
private  investments  in  less  developed  and more  risky  business  environments. By  the  end  of  2019, 
the EFSD had mobilised around EUR  4.6 billion of EU funds that should generate  EUR 47 billion in 
investment.  

Through the Partnership Instrument (PI)18, a EUR 5.7 million contract was signed at the end of 2019 
in a new EU-OECD partnership to help shape  business models for sustainable, inclusive,  and fairer 
growth.  

During  2019,  two trust  funds  were  created  in  cooperation with  the  World  Bank  Group  addressing 
business friendly investment climates: one to assist countries and regional economic communities in 
the ACP region (EUR 12 million) and the other to support Sub-Saharan Africa (EUR 10 million). 

In  the  Eastern  Partnership  over  40  regional  and  bilateral  programmes  under  the  ‘EU4Business’ 
initiative  delivered  substantive  support  for  the  development  of  SMEs,  complementing  national 
reform plans. 

Eradicating poverty in all its dimensions, tackling discrimination and inequality and leaving no one 
behind are at the heart of the European Consensus on Development.  

Over  half  of  the  world’s  population  is  not  covered  by  social  protection  benefits.  The  EU  supports 
social protection programmes in 26 countries, representing a total investment of EUR 1 billion. 

17 COM(2019) 352 final of 23 July 2019 
18 https://ec.europa.eu/fpi/what-we-do/partnership-instrument-advancing-eus-core-interests_en  

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According  to  the  2019  Global  Report  on  Food  Crises,  more  than  113  million  people  across  53 
countries experienced acute hunger requiring urgent assistance in 2018. The EU works with partners 
to  address  hunger  and  child  and  maternal  malnutrition,  including  by  promoting  sustainable  and 
resilient agriculture. 

The  EU-funded  initiative  ‘Development  of  Smart  Innovation  through  Research  in  Agriculture’ 
(DeSIRA)  has  mobilised  some  EUR  95  million  to  build  national,  regional  and  global  capacities  for 
innovation. 

Human development 
Good health is an essential basis for sustainable development. The EU supports partner countries in 
pursuing  a  ‘health  in  all  policies’  approach  to  sustainably  improve  the  quality,  coverage  and 
affordability of healthcare and enhance health systems. 

Half of EU health aid (EUR 2.6 billion between 2014 and 2020) goes to global initiatives such as the 
Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation, 
the Vaccine Alliance; the Universal Health Coverage Partnership of the World Health Organization; 
and the UN Population Fund. 

During 2019, the Commission pledged EUR 550 million to the Global Fund for 2020–2022.  

Education  is  key  to  shaping  future  generations  and  an  essential  enabler  for  sustainable  growth, 
quality employment and equality. 

The  EU  supports  education  in  some  100  countries  and  through  partnerships  such  as  the  Global 
Partnership for Education (GPE) and Education Cannot Wait.  

Through its support for the GPE, the EU has contributed to the enrolment of 77 million children in 
primary school. 

Partnering on migration 
The EU continued to apply a balanced approach to migration. In 2019, the number of international 
migrants  worldwide  reached  nearly  272  million,  almost  70.8  million  people  are  forcibly  displaced 
worldwide, and the global refugee population stands at 25.9 million. Most refugees continued to be 
hosted in developing regions. 

Migration can also increase inequality, and the EU has boosted its efforts to ensure that migration 
leads to inclusive growth and sustainable development in origin, transit and destination countries so 
that  all  communities  benefit.  In  June,  the  Commission  published  a  staff  working  document  on 
‘Addressing  inequality  in  partner  countries’19  and  in  November,  the  Council  adopted  conclusions 
calling on the EU and Member States to accelerate their efforts20. 

In 2019 the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa approved an additional 36 programmes and 16 ‘top-
ups’ across its three regions (Sahel and Lake Chad, Horn of Africa and North of Africa) totalling EUR 
851 million. 

19 SWD(2019) 280 final of 16 June 2019. 
20 https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2019/11/25/addressing-inequality-in-partner-countries-council-adopts-
conclusions/ 

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Peace and security 
Throughout  2019,  the  Instrument  contributing  to  Stability  and  Peace  remained  a  key  tool  for  EU 
diplomacy  in  crisis  contexts  and  in  its  quest  for  stability,  conflict  prevention  and  resolution,  and 
peacebuilding. All 46 adopted crisis response actions responded directly to EU political priorities and 
complemented the work of common security and defence policy missions. 

In  2019,  the  use  of  capacity  building  in  support  of  security  and  development  was  further 
strengthened with new actions launched in Burkina Faso, Niger, Somalia and Tajikistan.  

A global action was also launched to support regional training centres in West Africa, East Africa and 
the Middle East to train military actors in the areas of health, demining and civil protection.  

Work to coordinate international efforts in conflict and post-conflict settings continued with the UN 
and other international organisations, notably the World Bank and the African Development Bank, to 
support access to financing and reflect the EU’s strong commitment to multilateralism.  

In 2019, the first EU contribution to the UN Peacebuilding Fund was made through the Instrument 
contributing to Stability and Peace. 

In  July  the  Chernobyl  nuclear  site  was  handed  back  to  the  Ukrainian  authorities  following  the 
completion of the  largest  international cooperation  effort on nuclear safety. The  EU provided EUR 
431.6 million through its Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation and Technical Assistance to the 
Commonwealth of Independent States programme. 

The  EU  continued  to  promote  the  rule  of  law,  access  to  justice,  and  the  strengthening  of  the 
capacities of justice institutions in partner countries across the world.  

Human rights, democracy, fundamental values 
2019  marked  the  final  phase  of  implementation  of  the  EU  action  plan  on  human  rights  and 
democracy  (2015-2019)  supporting  fundamental  human  rights  including  freedoms  of  expression, 
assembly and association, non-discrimination and the rights of minorities. In 2019 the EU used the 
European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights to fund some 268 projects worth EUR 119.5 
million.  

EU human rights defenders’ mechanisms were renewed for another 3 years at the end of 2019. 

Against a backdrop of continuing challenges to global democracy, the EU reaffirmed its commitment 
to democratic processes with programmes totalling over EUR 47.2 million across 30 countries.  

The EU deployed 8 election observation missions (EOMs), 6 electoral expert missions and 7 follow-
up  missions  and  developed  a  public  database  of  recommendations  issued  by  EOMs.  The  EU  also 
supported local electoral observers in 11 countries. 

Gender  equality  and  empowerment  of  women  and  girls  are  core  values  of  the  EU  and  its 
international  development  policy.  The  EU  gender  action  plan  addresses  three  main  priority  areas: 
ensuring  girls’  and  women’s  physical  and  psychological  integrity;  promoting  women’s  and  girls’ 
socio-economic and cultural rights; and strengthening girls’ and women’s voice and participation in 
decision-making.  

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2019  saw  continuing  implementation  of  the  Spotlight  Initiative21,  a  transformative  EU–UN 
partnership to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls worldwide. The ‘Safe and Fair’ 
programme (EUR 25 million) is improving the working conditions of female migrants moving from 11 
Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries to Gulf countries.  

The  EUR  22.5  million  ‘WeEmpower’  programme  increases  the  commitment  of  public  and  private 
sectors to gender equality and the empowerment of women at work.  

The EU also launched a EUR 3.75 million programme to further strengthen regional and international 
networks of national human rights institutions and a call for projects on the protection of Lesbian, 
Gay,  Bisexual,  Trans,  and/or  Intersex  human  rights  defenders.  Actions  were  also  undertaken  to 
address growing challenges related to freedom of expression and media freedom. Several projects 
were funded under the technical assistance facility ‘Media4Democracy’. 

Technology and innovation 
A  EUR  200  million  contribution  from  the  EU  to  the  Western  Balkans  Enterprise  Development  and 
Innovation  Facility  helped  leverage  total  investments  of  EUR  958  million  to  support  some  4 700 
companies, thus providing over 2 800 loans, creating almost 80 000 jobs, and facilitating 36 equity-
type investments. 

Connectivity  plays  a  fundamental  role  in  achieving  the  SDGs,  with  transport,  energy  and 
digitalisation  being  key  sectors.  Resilient  infrastructure  promotes  inclusive  and  sustainable  growth 
and fosters innovation.  

The PI has promoted sustainable industrialisation in Brazil and Mexico to decouple economic growth 
from carbon emissions, in particular by promoting partnerships between EU and local companies. 

In 2019, the Africa-Europe Alliance Digital Economy Task Force was created and contributed to the 
Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa (2020-2030) report published by the African Union. 

The increased importance of science, new technologies and innovation for inclusive and sustainable 
development  in  the  ACP  regions  was  recognised  with  the  launch  of  a  EUR  60  million  programme 
under the 11th European Development Fund to strengthen innovation ecosystems and capabilities.  

Global reach 
Throughout  the  world  the  EU  has  continued  to  work  to  reduce  poverty,  fight  inequalities  and 
support sustainable development and promote democracy, peace and security.  

Africa 
The negotiations for a renewed Partnership Agreement with the ACP States, to succeed the Cotonou 
Agreement and reshape political and economic relations with these partners, started in 2019. 

The  EU  provided  support  to  the  democratic  transition  in  Sudan  and  maintained  its  strong  support 
both  politically  and  financially  for  the  Ethiopian  transition.  Together with  the World  Bank  and  the 
African  Development  Bank,  the  EU  has  spearheaded  the  ‘Horn  of  Africa  Initiative  for  Regional 
Integration and Economic Development’ with Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia.  

21 https://www.spotlightinitiative.org/ 

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In 2019 the EU covered emergency humanitarian needs in seven countries that were involved in the 
Sahel crisis: Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Mali, Chad, Niger, Nigeria and Cameroon. The EU allocated 
over EUR 187 million (including more than EUR 141 million to the most vulnerable populations in the 
G5 countries) to support humanitarian interventions. 

The EU supported the Africa-led Africa Renewable Energy initiative22 to achieve its goal of generating 
at  least  10 GW  of  renewable  energy  by  2020.  The  EU  has  a  strategic  interest  in  supporting  this 
initiative  with  objectives  aligned  to  the  EU  Green  Deal  as  identified  in  the  Partnership  for  Green 
Transition and Energy Access included in the future comprehensive strategy with Africa. 

In 2019, civilian common security and defence policy missions were active in Libya, Mali, Niger and 
Somalia with a new mission established in the Central African Republic to support the reform of the 
security forces with their gradual deployment throughout the country. 

A  key  policy  initiative,  the  Africa-Europe  Alliance  for  Sustainable  Investment  and  Jobs  saw  good 
progress, with the EU supporting and de-risking investment through the EIP. The EU also facilitated 
structured public-private dialogue in 32 African countries, as part of the EIP’s Sustainable Business 
for Africa platform.  

Through the PI, the EU continues to deliver on the economic, trade and investment dimensions of its 
strategic  partnership  with  South  Africa  with  a  focus  on  the  implementation  of  the  Economic 
Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the EU and the Southern African Development Community, 
the Paris Agreement, and WTO matters.  

Asia, Central Asia and the Pacific 
The  Asia-Europe  Meeting  of  Foreign  Ministers  was  held  in  December  in  Madrid  and  focused  on 
shared values and common challenges, especially rules-based effective multilateralism. 

In January, the ASEAN-EU Ministerial Meeting agreed in principle to upgrade relations to a strategic 
partnership,  and  in  June  a  Free  Trade  Agreement  and  Investment  Protection  Agreement  with 
Vietnam was signed by the Council of the EU23 followed by a Framework Participation Agreement in 
October.  

In  April,  the  Council  prolonged  the  restrictive  measures  against  Myanmar  for  an  additional  year, 
including targeted restrictive measures on individuals. 

‘Responsible Supply Chains in Asia’ is a EUR 9.5 million PI-funded joint initiative  to improve respect 
for  human  rights,  labour  and  environmental  standards  in  businesses  with  supply  chains  in  China, 
Japan, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.  

During 2019, the IcSP focused on addressing hate-speech and preventing violent extremism across 
the region. In the wake of the Easter bombings in Sri Lanka, the IcSP was quickly mobilised to help 
strengthen counterterrorism and the prevention of violent extremism in Sri Lanka and the Maldives. 

Enlargement region  
The Commission continued to support enlargement countries to improve their readiness to join the 
EU and to promote regional  cooperation within the Western Balkans and with the EU. The  annual 

22 http://www.arei.org/ 
23 Ratification by the European Parliament followed in February 2020 with the entry into force of the Free Trade Agreement on 1 August 
2020.   

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enlargement package was adopted on 29 May. Thanks to further progress by the Republic of Albania 
and  the  Republic  of  North  Macedonia,  the  Commission  maintained  its  recommendation  to  open 
accession  negotiations.  In  October  the  European  Council  decided  to  revert  to  the  issue  of 
enlargement  before  the  next  EU-Western  Balkans  summit.  Negotiations  were  officially  opened  in 
March 2020. 

The EU has provided EUR 880.7 million for 39 transport and energy connectivity projects under the 
Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance; these projects should leverage investments of over EUR 3.2 
billion. 

In  May,  the  Commission  issued  its  Opinion  on  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina’s  application  for  EU 
membership24, indicating that negotiations for accession should start once Bosnia and Herzegovina 
has  achieved  the  correct  compliance  with  the  membership  criteria.  In  December,  the  Council 
adopted conclusions25 on the Commission’s Opinion, which it welcomed. 

In  relation  to  Turkey  in  November  the  Council  introduced  restrictive  measures  due  to  Turkey’s 
unauthorised  drilling  activities  in  the  eastern  Mediterranean26,  and  decided  to  reduce  bilateral 
assistance  under  the  Instrument  for  Pre-accession  Assistance  and  lower  lending  by  the  European 
Investment  Bank.  The  EU  continued  to  support  civil  society  and  people-to-people  contacts  while 
cooperation  on  supporting  Syrian  refugees  and  migration  management  continued;  the  full 
operational budget of the facility for refugees in Turkey was allocated by the end of 2019. 

European Neighbourhood 
In  2019,  the  EU  continued  to  implement  its  revised  European  Neighbourhood  policy,  mobilising 
significant  support  for  its  four  refocused  priorities27  and  fully  integrating  the  principles  of 
differentiation, shared ownership and an incentive-based approach.  

In the Eastern Neighbourhood, the implementation of the Eastern Partnership’s ‘20 Deliverables for 
2020’  progressed  well,  in  particular  for  the  economy,  connectivity,  people-to-people  contacts  and 
good governance.  

In 2019, the Eastern Partnership celebrated its 10th anniversary, with a high-level event underlining 
significant achievements in boosting economies and trade, energy efficiency, the role of civil society 
and  visa  liberalisation.  A  comprehensive  consultation  on  the  future  of  the  Eastern  Partnership 
launched in 201928 received over 200 contributions from a wide range of stakeholders.  

With the finalisation of negotiations on the visa facilitation and readmission agreement for Belarus 
in 2019, all Eastern Partnership countries now benefit from easier travel to the EU. 

24 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/de/COUNTRY_19_2778 
25 https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2019/12/10/council-conclusions-on-commission-opinion-on-bosnia-and-
herzegovina-s-application-for-membership-of-the-european-union/ 
26 https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2019/11/11/turkey-s-illegal-drilling-activities-in-the-eastern-mediterranean-
council-adopts-framework-for-sanctions/ 
27  The  European  Neighbourhood  policy’s  priority  areas  are  good  governance,  democracy,  human  rights  and  the  rule  of  law;  economic 
development for stabilisation; security; and migration and mobility. 
28 https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/news_corner/news/european-union-opens-structured-consultation-future-eastern-
partnership_en 

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In response to the conflict in the east of Ukraine, the EU continued to provide humanitarian support 
and  assistance  for  stabilisation  and  early  recovery.  In  addition,  the  EU  mobilised  and  deployed 
specific support to the Sea of Azov region. 

The  EU’s  Covenant  of  Mayors  initiative  helps  almost  400  municipalities  in  Eastern  Partnership 
countries to implement their sustainable energy and climate commitments.  

In  the  Southern  Neighbourhood,  mitigating  the  impact  of  the  protracted  Syrian  crisis  remained  a 
priority throughout 2019. The Brussels III Conference in April on supporting the future of Syria and 
the region reaffirmed the EU’s engagement. 

A joint political declaration was adopted with Morocco in June and the EU–Morocco action plan and 
the single support framework were extended to the end of 2020. In January, both the EU-Israel and 
EU-Palestinian authority action plans were extended for a period of 3 years.  

The EU supported the presidential and parliamentary elections in Tunisia in September and October 
respectively, which further consolidated its democratic transition, and continued to support Libya’s 
transition towards a stable and secure country despite the security situation in the country.  

Common security and defence policy missions were active in Ukraine, Kosovo* and Georgia.  

Latin America and the Caribbean 
In April, the EU adopted a new strategy towards Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) - ‘EU-LAC – 
Joining  forces  for  a  common  future’29  -  based on  partnerships  in  prosperity,  democracy,  resilience 
and effective global governance. 

Progress was made in implementing EU partnerships in LAC through political and trade agreements. 
An  agreement  in  principle  was  reached  in  July  on  the  trade  part  of  the  EU-Mercosur  Association 
Agreement  (Argentina,  Brazil,  Paraguay  and  Uruguay).  Negotiations with Mexico  for  a modernised 
Global Agreement were completed except for the list of public procurement entities at sub-central 
level rules.  

PI actions included a project to strengthen protection of intellectual property in the region, in line 
with  WTO  and  relevant  EU  free  trade  agreements.  A  EUR  9.5  million  project  supports  responsible 
business  practices  in  Argentina,  Brazil,  Chile,  Colombia,  Costa  Rica,  Ecuador,  Mexico,  Panama  and 
Peru. 

In Venezuela, the protracted political and humanitarian crisis had a substantial impact on the region, 
mainly due to unprecedented migration flows. The EU increased pressure on the regime via targeted 
restrictive  measures  in  view  of  the  continuing  deterioration  of  democracy,  the  rule  of  law  and 
human rights, while increasing assistance to the population and Venezuelan migrants.  

During 2019, the EU continued to support the implementation of the peace agreement in Colombia, 
including providing support to the Commission for the Clarification of Truth, Coexistence and Non-
repetition. 

29 JOIN(2019) 6 final of 16 April 2019 
* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo 
declaration of independence. 

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In Mexico, the IcSP supported communities along the northern border to assist asylum seekers and 
refugees by improving access to public services.  

The  EU  and  the  Pacific  Alliance  signed  a  joint  declaration  in  September  to  further  strengthen 
cooperation and dialogue. 

Middle East Gulf region 
Working  closely  with  the  European  External  Action  Service,  EU  delegations  and  Commission 
departments, the PI has delivered substantive achievements in the Gulf region in areas such as clean 
energy  technologies,  energy  efficiency,  climate  change  and  economic  diversification.  Most  of  the 
projects cover the six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and include the EU-GCC Clean 
Energy  Network,  the  EU  GCC  Economic  Diversification  Dialogue,  the  EU  Policy  and  Outreach 
Partnership, and a project to prepare a regional radiological warning and data-exchange system. 

In Iraq, the EU continued to work on stabilisation, post-conflict reform, accountability and inclusive 
reconciliation processes.  The  IcSP supported the  UN in digitising evidence of crimes committed by 
Da’esh and helped improve border management on the Iraqi-Jordanian border.  

In Yemen, the EU continues to support stabilisation efforts and the peace process. In response to the 
Stockholm agreement at the end of 2018, support was provided for mediation efforts, the UN’s 
peace building fund and for specific initiatives such as the agreement on the port at Hodeidah. 

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