REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL 2021 Annual Report On the implementation of the European Union's External Action Instruments in 2020
Date: 2021-12-16
Institutions: Directorate-General for International Partnerships, European Commission
Subjects: EU migration policy, climate change, common foreign and security policy, coronavirus disease, digital transformation, epidemic, humanitarian aid, peacekeeping, sustainable development, the EU's international role

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 16.12.2021  COM(2021) 816 final  REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL 2021 Annual Report        On the implementation of the European Union's External Action Instruments      in 2020 {SWD(2021) 388 final}  
 
 
Table of Contents 
GLOBAL COMMITMENTS ........................................................................................................................ 2 

Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 2 

Team Europe approach: responding to the COVID-19 global crisis .................................................... 3 

EU: a strong global actor ..................................................................................................................... 3 

GLOBAL PRIORITIES ................................................................................................................................. 6 

Human development .......................................................................................................................... 6 

Green Deal .......................................................................................................................................... 6 

Sustainable growth and jobs ............................................................................................................... 7 

Science, technology, innovation and digitalisation ............................................................................ 7 

Migration and assistance to refugees and displaced persons ............................................................ 8 

Governance, peace and security ......................................................................................................... 8 

GLOBAL REACH........................................................................................................................................ 9 

Sub-Saharan Africa .............................................................................................................................. 9 

Latin America and the Caribbean........................................................................................................ 9 

Asia, Central Asia, Middle East/Gulf and Pacific ............................................................................... 10 

Enlargement ...................................................................................................................................... 10 

European Neighbourhood ................................................................................................................ 11 

Overseas countries and territories (OCTs) ........................................................................................ 11 

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GLOBAL COMMITMENTS 
Introduction 

The year 2020 was marked by COVID-19. The pandemic made an impact on everyone, everywhere 
around  the  world.  The  EU  responded  through  its  external  action  instruments,  demonstrating 
adaptability, flexibility and the power of its international partnerships. 

This report outlines key aspects of the EU’s financial support in 2020 for international cooperation and 
development,  humanitarian  aid,  foreign  policy  and  enlargement1.  Prior  to  the  pandemic,  the  EU 
already  championed  a  long-term  agenda  aligned  on  the  Sustainable  Development  Goals  (SDGs), 
guided  by  a  vision  of  sustainability  and  partnership.  COVID-19  did  not  deflect  the  EU  from  this 
objective; indeed, it showed the agenda to be prescient and more urgent than ever, bringing into focus 
issues such as growing global inequalities and the digital divide.  

In 2020, the EU and its Member States came together through a ‘Team Europe approach’2, mobilising 
more than EUR 40 billion to fight COVID-19 and its impact in our partner countries around the world3, 
on top of efforts to protect people and economies in the EU itself.  

The immediate priority during 2020 was to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 in the most vulnerable 
countries, but the EU did not lose sight of the need to lay the basis for a green and digital transition 
through a just, inclusive and resilient global recovery. At the UN Financing for Development High-Level 
Event in September 2020, President von der Leyen called for a Global Recovery Initiative that links 
investment and debt relief to the SDGs. 

In 2020, the EU advanced two major frameworks for its external action: internally, negotiations were 
completed  on  the  new  Neighbourhood,  Development  and  International  Cooperation  Instrument 
(NDICI)4 – Global Europe for 2021-27; externally, chief negotiators from the EU and the Organisation 
of African, Caribbean and Pacific States reached a political deal on the post -Cotonou framework, that 
will  upgrade  and  modernise  the  EU’s  relations  with  the  79  African,  Caribbean  and  Pacific  (ACP) 
countries. 

The EU took a historic step by deciding to open accession negotiations with North Macedonia and 
Albania. In parallel, an ambitious economic and investment plan for the Western Balkans looked to 
spur long-term recovery and facilitate the path to EU membership. 

Throughout 2020, the EU continued to respond to geopolitical developments in its bordering countries 
and regions. It led initiatives to boost Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, strengthen the 
stabilisation and peace process in Libya under the Berlin process, and support civil society in Syria.  

The  EU’s  efforts  to  promote  peace  and  stability  in  the  Sahel  region  (Burkina  Faso,  Chad,  Mali, 
Mauritania  and  Niger),  the  Central  African  Republic  and  the  Horn  of  Africa  (Somalia)  included 
diplomacy,  civilian  and  military  missions  and  operations  under  the  common  security  and  defence 

1 See the SWD accompanying this annual report Part I, Introduction, for details. 
2 The Team Europe approach combines resources,  ways of working, expertise and tools of the EU, Member States, their 
implementing agencies and European Development Finance Institutions, while respecting EU competences and the decision-
making procedures established by the EU Treaties. 
3 This takes into account pre-financing from 2019, with a pro-rata temporis methodology, which was adjusted to tackle the 
pandemic in 2020. 
4 
development-and-international-cooperation-instrument_en 

https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/find-funding/eu-funding-programmes/global-europe-neighbourhood-

2 

 
 
                                                           
policy  (CSDP)  and  humanitarian,  stabilisation  and  development  aid  in  an  integrated  partnership 
approach. 

At the end of 2020, the Communication ‘A new EU-US agenda for global change’5 looked to strengthen 
the transatlantic partnership on several strategic agendas, including climate change, health, and the 
implementation of the 2030 Agenda. 

The  promotion  and  protection  of  human  rights  is  a  cornerstone  of  EU  external  action,  reaffirmed 
through  its  Action  Plan  on  Human  Rights  and  Democracy  2020-20246.  In  a  digital  age  plagued  by 
disinformation, this Action Plan also promotes enhancement of democracy and transparency through 
media literacy. The adoption of the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime7 on 7 December and 
subsequent listings in March 2021 are tangible examples of the EU’s determination to defend human 
rights globally. 

Team Europe approach: responding to the COVID-19 global crisis 

The Team Europe approach is a major practical innovation in how the EU and Member States work 
together in areas of parallel competence. It emerged in response to the COVID-19 crisis. 

It  brings  together  the  EU  institutions,  Member  States,  their  implementing  agencies  and  European 
Development  Finance  Institutions.  By  combining  resources,  ways  of  working,  expertise  and  tools, 
while respecting the EU competences and decision-making procedures set out in the Treaties, it builds 
a strategic culture of coordination around transformative action. 

The EU was an early supporter of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator. The Coronavirus 
Global  Response  pledging  conference  of  4  May  2020,  co-convened  by  the  Commission,  raised 
EUR 15.9 billion  to  ensure  the  collaborative  development  and  universal  deployment  of  vaccines, 
diagnostics and therapeutics against COVID-19. More than 70% of these pledges came from the EU 
and its Member States. 

Of the more than EUR 40 billion mobilised by the EU and its Member States in 2020 to tackle COVID-
19, some 65% was disbursed during the year. 

In a unique repatriation effort, the EU helped bring home more than 625 000 EU citizens who found 
themselves stranded abroad. The EU Civil Protection Mechanism also facilitated the delivery8 of over 
18 million items of critical personal protective and medical equipment, including over 3 million items 
from rescEU9 stockpiles established in 2020.  

EU: a strong global actor 

The EU remains one of the few actors with a global presence and a comprehensive policy toolbox able 
to respond and support our partners around the world. 

The  EU  and  its  Member  States  are  committed  to  taking  account  of  development  cooperation 
objectives in the external and internal policies that affect developing countries. The 2017 European 
Consensus on Development has reaffirmed the importance of policy coherence for development. 

5 JOIN(2020) 22 final of 2 December 2020. 
6 JOIN(2020) 5 final of 25 March 2020. 
7 OJ L 410I 7.12.2020, p. 1. 
8 Through the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) and the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC). 
9 Reserve capacity known as rescEU reserve of additional capacities. 

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In  2020,  the  EU  and  its  27  Member  States  remained  the  leading  provider  of  official  development 
assistance (ODA), increasing its collective contribution to EUR 66.8 billion, according to preliminary 
figures10. This represents 46%  of total global ODA  from the EU and other Development  Assistance 
Committee (DAC) donors and is equivalent to 0.50% of the EU’s gross national income (GNI). 

In 2020, the EU continued to actively engage in development-related UN processes. The Commission 
presented the Staff Working Document ‘Delivering on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals – A 
comprehensive  approach’11,  reflecting  the  EU’s  commitment  to  the  2030  Agenda.  With  the  EU’s 
support, integrated national financing frameworks (INFFs)  were established to develop country-led 
financing strategies for making progress towards the SDGs. 

Africa  remained  a  key  priority  for  the  EU  in  2020.  In  March,  the  Commission  and  the  High 
Representative  of  the  Union  for  Foreign  Affairs  and  Security  Policy  launched  their  vision  for 
strengthening the EU’s partnership with Africa in a Joint Communication ‘Towards a Comprehensive 
Strategy with Africa’.12 They proposed to deepen cooperation in five key areas: green transition; digital 
transformation; sustainable growth and jobs; peace and governance; migration and mobility.  

The  EU,  together  with  its  Member  States,  remains  the  world's  leading  donors  of  humanitarian 
assistance. The EU's humanitarian aid budget for 2020 amounted EUR 2 138 million. 

In 2020, the EU funded humanitarian organisations in more than 80 countries and regions including 
Afghanistan, Haiti, the Sahel region, South Sudan, Syria, Turkey, Ukraine, Venezuela and Yemen. 

The Union Civil Protection Mechanism was activated 102 times in 2020 – including 57 times outside 
Europe – for a variety of natural and human-induced disasters.  

In 2020, the EU continued to implement its European Neighbourhood policy (ENP), advancing reforms 
and  building  resilience  and  prosperity  with  partners  in  its  neighbourhood.  In  March  2020,  the 
Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy adopted 
the Joint Communication ‘Eastern Partnership policy beyond 2020: Reinforcing Resilience – an Eastern 
Partnership  that  delivers  for  all’13,  setting out  five  long-term  policy  objectives,  with  resilience  as  a 
crosscutting goal.  

In November 2020, the 25th anniversary of the Barcelona Declaration was an opportunity to reflect on 
the  priorities  of  the  EU  partnership  with  the  Southern  Neighbourhood  region.  The  Joint 
Communication by the Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and 
Security  Policy  on  a  renewed  partnership  with  the  Southern  Mediterranean  region14  focused  on 
human development, sustainable and inclusive economic recovery, and youth empowerment. 

For the Western Balkans, the Commission adopted proposals to enhance the accession process, and 
in  March  2020,  the  European  Council  endorsed  the  General  Affairs  Council’s  decision  to  open 
accession negotiations with the Republic of Albania and the Republic of North Macedonia. At the EU-
Western  Balkans  Summit on  6 May  2020,  the  EU  leaders  reaffirmed the  Union’s  determination  to 

10 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_21_1701 
11 SWD(2020) 400 final of 18 November 2020.  
12 JOIN(2020) 4 final of 9 March 2020. 
13 JOIN(2020) 7 final of 18 March 2020. 
14 JOIN (2021), 2 final of 9 February 2021. 

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intensify  further its engagement  with the region and welcomed the pledge  of the Western Balkan 
partners to implement necessary reforms. 

In 2020, political agreements were reached on the European Defence Fund and the European Peace 
Facility. Under the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), civilian missions and military missions 
and operations (e.g. Central African Republic, Georgia, Iraq, Kosovo*, Libya, Mali, Niger, Palestinian 
territories, Somalia, South Mediterranean, Ukraine, Western Indian Ocean) continued to support our 
partners and address crises around the world. 

A new CSDP military operation, EUNAVFOR MED Operation IRINI, was launched on 31 March 2020, 
with a core mandate to enforce the UN arms embargo on Libya. Following a holistic strategic review 
of  CSDP  engagement  in  the  Horn  of  Africa,  the  mandates  of  the  military  operation  EUNAVFOR 
Operation Atalanta, the military mission EUTM Somalia, and the civilian mission EUCAP Somalia were 
extended to 31 December 2022. The EU proposed a new tool, the Coordinated Maritime Presences, 
to increase the EU’s capacity to act as a maritime security provider. In September, an implementation 
plan for a pilot case in the Gulf of Guinea was agreed.  

The EU’s Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI) deployed 17 electoral missions and remote desk 
reviews and supported 14 electoral processes during 2020. 

Under the External Investment Plan (EIP), the European Fund for Sustainable Development (EFSD) was 
established  to  support  investment  in  Africa  and  the  EU  Neighbourhood.  By  the  end  of  2020,  the 
Commission had signed guarantee agreements with partner financial institutions for a total value of 
EUR 1.55 billion. 

The  EU  Blending  Framework  comprises  seven  active  regional  blending  facilities15.  In  2020,  these 
facilities invested over EUR 900 million in projects around the globe.  

Budget support remains an important tool to support EU external action. The EU disbursed a total of 
EUR 3 billion as budget support in 2020. 

Joint programming promotes a common European strategy as a basis for our relationship with partner 
countries.  By  the  end  of  2020,  there  were  22  joint  programming  documents16,  including  one  new 
document for Ecuador. The extension of institution-building tools (TAIEX and Twinning) in 2020 helped 
to leverage European expertise globally. 

* 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. 
15 Africa Investment Platform (AIP), Asia Investment Facility (AIF), Caribbean Investment Facility (CIF), Investment Facility for 
Central Asia (IFCA), Investment Facility for the Pacific (IFP), Latin American Investment Facility (LAIF), and Neighbourhood 
Investment  Platform  (NIP).  It covers  all  regions  of  EU  external  cooperation (with  the EU-Africa  Infrastructure  Trust  Fund 
having allocated all its remaining resources in 2019). 
16 See the SWD accompanying this annual report, Section 2.4, for details. 

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GLOBAL PRIORITIES 

In 2020, the EU pursued its sustainable development vision through pragmatic partnerships. Below 
are a few examples highlighting the EU’s continued commitment to sustainability. 

Human development 

COVID-19  led  to  school  and  university  closures  affecting  more  than 1.5  billion students  across  the 
planet.  EU-funded  education  support  programmes,  such  as  the  Global  Partnership  for  Education, 
Education Cannot Wait, and Education in Emergencies, were reoriented to provide emergency funding 
and  ensure  learning  continuity  for  more  than  355  million  children  in  66  countries.  Flexibility 
arrangements were introduced to Erasmus+ to continue the support to universities, students and staff 
from partner countries. 

In 2020, the EU significantly increased its support for water access, sanitation and hygiene – the first 
line of defence against COVID-19 – in countries including the Philippines, Pakistan, South Africa, Ivory 
Coast, São Tomé and Principe, Senegal and Cameroon. 

The  EU-UN  Spotlight  Initiative,  an  unprecedented  global  partnership  to  eliminate  violence  against 
women and girls, had reached 26 countries and six regions by the end of 2020, with a total of EUR 497 
million committed. 

In 2020, about 60% of  the Commission’s COVID-19 related funding supported gender equality and 
women’s empowerment.17 

The EU exceeded its EUR 3.5 billion global pledge for nutrition by EUR 800 million in 2020. Between 
2014 and 2020, the EU committed EUR 4.3 billion to addressing child and maternal malnutrition. The 
EU  also  supported  health  services  during  the  pandemic  by  renewing  commitments  to  routine 
immunisation in partner countries through a EUR 300 million pledge to GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, 
and  to  sexual  and  reproductive  health  and  rights  through  a  EUR  26.5  million  grant  to  the  Global 
Financing Facility for Women, Children and Adolescents. 

Green Deal 
In 2020, 27.3 % of EU-funded international cooperation and development assistance contributed to 
climate change adaptation and mitigation. 

In 2020, the EU continued to support actions to increase sustainable energy access and decarbonise 
the global energy sector.  

By the end of 2020, EU-supported sustainable energy activities in partner countries had helped create 
18 gigawatts (GW) of new renewable energy capacity. This enabled more than 22 million people to 
gain access to sustainable energy and energy services.  

Under the EIP, the first guarantee programmes targeting sustainable cities were signed in 2020. 

Direct  support  was  provided  to  12  partner  countries  to  upgrade  their  Nationally  Determined 
Contributions (NDCs). Through the Global Climate Change Alliance+ (GCCA+), the EU has contributed 
to more than 80 national climate change strategies in over 60 countries.  

17 This refers to contributions from DG INTPA, NEAR and FPI, excluding guarantees. 

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In the field of sustainable agriculture, 19 DeSIRA (Development Smart Innovation through Research in 
Agriculture initiative) projects were signed in 2020. 

In  2020,  several  partners  joined  the  EU  in the  launch  of an  ambitious  ‘Landscapes  for  Our  Future’ 
initiative aimed at promoting integrated landscape management, spanning more than 20 countries 
and three sub-regions.  

Sustainable growth and jobs 
In  2020,  the  EU  provided  EUR  183 million  to  the  IMF’s  Catastrophe  Containment  and  Relief Trust, 
helping governments in the poorest and most vulnerable countries to cope with the economic effects 
of COVID-19 and to preserve jobs.  

A  EUR  10  million  EU  contribution  to  the  Women’s  Financial  Inclusion  Facility  leveraged  significant 
public  and  private  investment,  raising  a  total  of  EUR  75  million  in  2020  to  support  economic 
empowerment and financial inclusion for over 6 million women throughout the world. 

The EU Partnership for Responsible Minerals helped set up 22 miners’ organisations around the world, 
enabling them to access formal markets. In 2020,  seven  new projects were  launched in Africa and 
Latin America. 

In the Western Balkans and Turkey, over 25 EU programmes contributed directly to labour market 
inclusion and decent work.  

Science, technology, innovation and digitalisation 

In  2020,  the  EU  boosted  its  engagement  around  science,  technology,  innovation  and  digital 
transformation,  setting  up  new  initiatives  with  Africa  and  expanding  work  on  its  Copernicus  Earth 
Observation satellite system.  

December  2020  saw  the  launch  of  the  Digital4Development  (D4D)  Hub  as  a  strategic  platform  for 
multi-stakeholder dialogue and Member State coordination to boost investment and partnerships in 
digital transformation.  

The increased importance of science, technology and innovation for inclusive and sustainable growth 
in the ACP regions was recognised with the launch of a new EUR 60 million programme to strengthen 
innovation ecosystems and capabilities. 

Collaboration with the EU framework programmes for research and innovation (Horizon 2020 for the 
year 2020) and its partnerships (e.g. EDCTP18) has been crucial to ensure synergies among different 
funding instruments. 

Migration and assistance to refugees and displaced persons 

With over 82.4 million people forcibly displaced worldwide, the EU continued to provide humanitarian 
assistance  to  vulnerable  displaced  populations  around  the  globe.  Assistance  was  provided  in  key 
refugee-hosting countries (e.g. Bangladesh, Colombia, Ethiopia, Iran, Kenya, Lebanon, Peru, Turkey, 
Uganda), as well as in countries affected by internal displacement (e.g. Colombia, Democratic Republic 
of  the  Congo,  South  Sudan,  Syria).  Life-saving  assistance  and  protection  also  reached  vulnerable 
migrants along major migratory routes in Central America, Libya and Yemen. 

18 www.edctp.org  

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The EU Pact on Migration and Asylum19 was adopted by the Commission in September 2020. Tailor-
made migration partnerships were initiated or strengthened with several countries in Africa and Asia. 

During 2020, new programmes worth EUR 561 million were approved under the EU Emergency Trust 
Fund for Africa (EUTF Africa) for the Horn of Africa, Lake Chad, Northern Africa and the Sahel, helping 
to ensure safe, secure, legal and orderly migration from, to and within the regions. 

Both the EUTF Africa and the EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian crisis (EUTF Syria) were 
extended for a year in response  to COVID-19 and to the Beirut  port blast. The entire  EUR 6 billion 
budget of the Facility for Refugees in Turkey (FRIT) had been contracted by the end of 2020.  

During  2020,  new  initiatives  addressed  protracted  displacement  and  supported  Venezuelan  and 
Rohingya refugees, relieving financial and social stress on hosting communities while supporting local 
integration and protection of refugees, migrants and other displaced people.  

In addition, with a view to addressing the challenges of irregular migration, development funds were 
directed to support partner countries in developing effective migration governance and management 
systems, including border management capacities and the fight against criminal migrant smuggling 
networks, as well as improving return, readmission and reintegration processes.  

Governance, peace and security 

In 2020, EU CSDP civilian and military missions contributed to peace and security, carrying out tasks 
ranging  from  advising  relevant  ministries  at  strategic  level  on  security  or  defence  reforms  to 
supporting border management or training local police.  

Two projects were launched to associate enlargement and neighbourhood partners with the work of 
relevant EU justice and home affairs agencies (EUROMED Police V and CT-INFLOW).  

On rule of law and equal access to justice, the EU Transitional Justice Facility supported flexible, short-
term actions and the provision of expert advice in Burkina Faso, Liberia, Mali and Yemen. The EUTF 
Africa  and  the  Instrument  contributing  to  Stability  and  Peace  (IcSP)  also  continued  to  support 
stabilisation,  reconciliation  and  peace  processes  in  countries  and  regions  including  Central  African 
Republic, Libya, Mozambique, the Sahel, Syria and Yemen. 

In 2020, the humanitarian-development-peace nexus approach20 was implemented in six pilot partner 
countries (Chad, Iraq, Myanmar, Nigeria, Sudan, Uganda).  

https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/promoting-our-european-way-life/new-pact-migration-and-

19 
asylum_en  
20 https://ec.europa.eu/echo/what/humanitarian-aid/resilience_en  

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GLOBAL REACH 

In  2020,  EU  external  action  partnerships  and  initiatives  supported  lives,  livelihoods  and  local 
ecosystems in every corner of our planet.  

Sub-Saharan Africa  

The  Joint  Communication  ‘Towards a comprehensive Strategy with Africa‘,  together with  the Post-
Cotonou Agreement, will shape EU relations with Africa over the coming years. 

In February 2020, the 10th African Union Commission-European Commission meeting was held in Addis 
Ababa.  Discussions  focused  on  four  main  areas:  sustainable  growth,  trade,  investment  and 
digitalisation;  climate  change  and  resilient  infrastructure;  peace,  security  and  governance;  and 
migration and mobility.  

In  April,  the  EU-G5  Sahel  Summit  further  deepened  relations  between  the  G5  Sahel  and  the  EU, 
supporting the Coalition for the Sahel and the Partnership for Security and Stability in the Sahel (P3S), 
whose secretariat was established in November 2020. 

In July 2020, the first EU/AU Research and Innovation Ministerial took place. All Ministers agreed on 
a  new  focus  of  joint  research  and  innovation  activities  in  the  areas  of  health,  green  transition, 
innovation  and  technology,  and  capacities  for  science.  Ministers  also  welcomed  the  prospects  of 
developing a joint EU/AU Innovation Agenda. 

In 2020, construction of the DEFISSOL solar power plant in Benin began. It will supply 35 GWh of power 
a year to 180 000 beneficiaries.  

Latin America and the Caribbean 

The EU and its Member States convened two important meetings with Latin America and Caribbean 
(LAC) region representatives in 2020: an informal ministerial videoconference in July, and an informal 
ministerial meeting in December. EU and LAC governments committed to jointly ‘build back better’, 
notably through a robust green partnership and a digital alliance.  

In  June  2020,  the  political  and  cooperation  pillar  of  the  EU-Mercosur  Association  Agreement  was 
concluded.  

With the deteriorating political and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, migration flows reached more 
than 5.4 million by the end of 2020. At the Venezuela International Donors’ Conference in May, the 
EU mobilised more than EUR 144 million in humanitarian assistance and development cooperation to 
support displaced persons and their host communities.  

The EU Trust Fund for Colombia continued to support the implementation of the Peace Agreement 
via sustainable rural development and the reincorporation of former combatants. The Business and 
Biodiversity  project  helped  restore  and  protect  marine  and  coastal  biodiversity  in  the  Caribbean 
through sustainable tourism in the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Honduras. 

Asia, Central Asia, Middle East/Gulf and Pacific  

In  2020,  the  EU  maintained  strong  connections  with  key  strategic  partners  through  summits  with 
China, India, Japan and the Republic of Korea, two additional leaders’ meetings with China, and a first-
ever leaders’ meeting with Australia.  

9 

 
 
The  negotiation  of  an  EU-China  Comprehensive  Agreement  on  Investment  (CAI)  concluded  in 
December with the ratification process to be seen in the wider context of EU-China relations. The EU-
India Summit endorsed the 2025 EU-India roadmap as a guide for future cooperation. In December, 
the  EU  and  the  Association  of  Southeast  Asian  Nations  (ASEAN)  agreed  to  launch  a  strategic 
partnership.  

In  August  2020,  the  EU-Vietnam  Free  Trade  Agreement  entered  into  force.  This  is  the  most 
comprehensive trade agreement the EU has concluded with a developing partner country to date.  

Dialogue and cooperation with the Gulf Cooperation Council resumed in June 2020. 

In Papua New Guinea, the EU’s new support to rural entrepreneurship, investment and trade (STREIT) 
programme delivered training to some 120 cocoa farmers and 432 vanilla farmers; more than 10 000 
farmers received over 60 000 cocoa seedlings with enhanced pest resistance. 

Enlargement 

In  2020,  major  developments  took  place  on  the  EU  enlargement  agenda.  In  February  2020,  the 
Commission adopted proposals to enhance the accession process, and in March the European Council 
endorsed the General Affairs Council’s decision to open accession negotiations with the Republic of 
Albania and with the Republic of North Macedonia. At the EU-Western Balkans Summit in May, the 
EU reaffirmed its determination to further intensify its engagement with the region.  

The annual enlargement package21 was adopted in October, alongside the economic and investment 
plan  for  the  Western  Balkans22,  which  included  guidelines  for  the  implementation  of  the  Green 
Agenda. The plan aims to spur long-term post-pandemic recovery, boost economic growth – including 
digital  and  green  transitions  –  and  support  reforms  required  for  accession,  including  bringing  the 
Western Balkans partners closer to the EU single market.  

In  the  second  half  of  2020,  the  European  Commission  launched  informal  technical  talks  with  the 
Western Balkans on their association to Horizon Europe. 

The Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) II helps beneficiaries introduce reforms to align with 
EU rules and values on the road to potential membership. In 2020, 14 new IPA country programmes 
were adopted. The total operational commitments for IPA II in 2020 amounted to EUR 1.23 billion.  

Institution-building  tools  (TAIEX  and  Twinning)  actively  support  the  IPA  countries  in  their  reform 
processes. In 2020, TAIEX organised 143 events, while 53 twinning projects were ongoing. 

In 2020, the 6th Connectivity Agenda package was endorsed, completing the EUR 1 billion pledge made 
in 2015 for transport and energy interconnection investments in the Western Balkans. The EU pledge 
will leverage overall investments of more than EUR 3.7 billion. 

European Neighbourhood 

Progress  was  made  in  2020  on  the  implementation  of  the  Association  Agreements  and  Deep  and 
Comprehensive  Free  Trade  Areas  with  Georgia,  the  Republic  of  Moldova  and  Ukraine,  and  the 
Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership with Armenia. Negotiations on a new comprehensive EU-

21 COM(2020) 660 final of 6 October 2020. 
22 COM(2020) 641 final of 6 October 2020. 

10 

 
 
                                                           
Azerbaijan agreement continued. In Belarus, the aftermath of the 2020 presidential elections halted 
negotiations on new partnership priorities. 

In  Ukraine,  2020  saw  progress  in  areas  such  as  decentralisation,  infrastructure  development  and 
digital transformation. Following the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as a first response, the EU mobilised 
nearly EUR 4 million in humanitarian aid and expressed its readiness to support recovery and shape a 
durable and comprehensive settlement. 

The  European  Commission  has,  under  Horizon  2020,  used  a  series  of  instruments  to  support  the 
strengthening of research and innovation capacity in Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. It also 
launched informal technical talks with Armenia, Georgia, Israel, Moldova, Tunisia and Ukraine on their 
association to Horizon Europe. 

Together with the World Health Organisation, the Commission provided medical supplies across the 
Eastern  Neighbourhood  in  response  to  COVID-19,  delivering  over  11  million  items  of  personal 
protective equipment; 12 000 laboratory kits; over 1 500 ventilators, oxygen concentrators and pulse 
oximeters; and over 20 000 PCR test kits. In the Southern Neighbourhood, the Commission financed 
the delivery of medical equipment and support to the COVAX facility, which enabled the delivery of 
around 6.7 million doses of vaccine. 

In  2020,  the  EU  continued  to  provide  assistance  across  Syria  and  in  neighbouring  refugee-hosting 
countries, seeking to support a return to peace and a resumption of the transition to democracy in 
Libya, and to help Lebanon address its political and socio-economic crises. 

New  cooperation  initiatives,  in  particular  with  Morocco  (on  a  green  partnership  and  security 
cooperation), were also developed.  

Overseas countries and territories (OCTs) 

In 2020, the EU maintained its strong partnership with the OCTs, as reflected in the high-level political 
EU-OCT Forum of December 2020. 

The all-OCT Thematic Programme and the Caribbean, Indian Ocean and Pacific regional programmes, 
worth EUR 97.8 million, helped promote the sustainable use of natural resources, protect biodiversity 
and support climate action and resilience. 

The EU helped finance the connection of Wallis and Futuna to the Tui-Samoa digital cable. Broadband 
provision has enabled over 300 remote medical consultations every year. 

OCT  participation in the Erasmus+ programme has more than doubled since 2018,  growing to 177 
projects and 95 beneficiaries in 2020.  

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