On Friday 9 December, the EU committed €184 million to support good governance in Benin. European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development Neven Mimica and President of the Republic of Benin Patrice Talon signed two financing agreements under the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) the same day.
A good governance and development contract for €114 million (including €103 million in direct budgetary support) aims at strengthening the transparent management of public finances and setting up a credible mechanism for fighting corruption, based on the independence of the judiciary and improvement of the business climate. The payments will be determined as part of the strategic dialogue with the government on the progress of reforms.
The second agreement will enable a support programme for territorial development to be financed for a maximum of €70 million (including €60 million in budgetary support) to support implementation of the national policy for decentralisation and devolution. The amount of the annual payments will be based on the progress made in the reform of territorial administration, measured by ten indicators.
Under the 11th EDF, Benin will benefit from an envelope of €372 million for 2014-2020. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)