Brussels, 30/01/2006 (Agence Europe) - The programming exercise for the 10th European Development Fund (10th EDF), which will fund the partnership between the EU and the ACP countries (Africa/Caribbean/Pacific) between 2008 and 2013, was kicked off on 30 January at an initial regional programming seminar held in the Congo with the countries of Central Africa (Brazzaville, 30-31 January). The programming exercise will establish the priorities for the allocation of resources to benefit the 78 ACP countries which are signatories of the Cotonou agreement.
"We will launch a political dialogue between partners who respect each other, country by country, region by region. We will listen to the priorities communicated to us in terms of actions for development. At the same time, we expect from our partners a solid commitment to good governance", said Louis Michel, Commissioner for the Development Policy and Humanitarian Aid.
This regional programming seminar will bring together those responsible, at the highest level, for cooperation with the EU in Central Africa: Congo Brazzaville, DRC, Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Burundi, Rwanda, Equatorial Guinea, São Tome and Principe, the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CAEMC). It is the first of a series of seminars to be held between now and April to cover all of the ACP regions, in respect of the new guidelines of European development policy and the new strategy of the EU for Africa, both of which were approved in December 2005.
Good performances and the respect for commitments taken by the ACP countries, particularly in terms of good governance, the correct management of public funds and efficient administration, are key factors in the increase of the indicative budgetary envelopes allocated to each country.
It is worth noting that the 10th EDF will have a budget of 22.682 billion EUR on current prices for 2008-2013, in line with the agreement of the European Council of December 2005.