Brussels, 30/01/2006 (Agence Europe) - As part of its reform of External Actions, on 25 January the European Commission approved seven new thematic programmes to simplify and improve its cooperation with third countries irrespective of geographical area. The programmes approved include: the programme on Human Rights and Democracy, on “Investing in People”, on Environment and Sustainable management of Natural Resources, including Energy, on Food Security, on Non-state actors in Development, on Migration and Asylum and on Cooperation with Industrialised Countries. With the EU's country and regional programmes, the new thematic programmes will form the backbone of the Commission's external cooperation activities from 2007 onwards. The lower number of programmes is in line with the reduced number of budget lines of the EU's new 2007-2013 financial perspective. The financial allocations for the new thematic programmes still await final agreement.
Food security The programme reaffirms the Commission's commitment to the central element of the Millennium Development Goals, to reduce poverty and hunger. The thematic programme on food security is designed to intervene in post-crisis situations and in fragile states. It provides support to continental programmes to improve food security, such as agricultural research and civil society initiatives to promote, for example, south-south dialogue on food security, and is designed to improve the livelihoods of the rural and urban poor.
“Investing in people” This programme proposes six areas for intervention, identified as priorities in the fight against poverty - good health for all, knowledge and skills, employment and social cohesion, gender equality, children and youth and culture, but takes up new priorities defined in the European Consensus on Development (ECD), the first joint Commission-Council-Parliament political declaration on the EU's development policy. For the first time culture, children and youth will be an explicit focus.
Environment and sustainable management of natural resources, including energy This programme is part of the EU's response to the increasingly global environmental pressures, and to the need for more sustainable energy resources. It addresses the environmental dimension of development and other external policies as well as helps to promote the EU's environmental and energy programmes abroad and complements environmental and energy actions undertaken through country and regional programmes.
Non-state actors and local authorities in development This programme will support initiatives from civil society organisations active in development, and local authorities in order to promote participatory approaches to development. Support for field projects will take the lion's share, but two new intervention areas are proposed: awareness-raising and education for development and activities which facilitate coordination between stakeholders' networks.
Human rights and democracy This new thematic programme will build on the experience of the existing European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights, but introduce a more strategic approach. The key objectives of the programme will be 1) to enhance respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms where they are most at risk and provide support and solidarity to victims of repression or abuse, and 2) to strengthen the role of civil society in promoting human rights and democratic reform, in supporting conflict prevention and in developing political participation and representation. The programme will not require the consent of the governments of the countries concerned, and should provide assistance for operations that cannot be carried out through other EC programmes.
Migration and asylum Through this programme, the EU should be able to assist third countries through an integrated, coherent and balanced approach, which, building on the experience carried out through the AENEAS programme, will cover the following strands: 1) fostering the links between migration and development, 2) promoting well-managed labour migration, 3) fighting illegal immigration and facilitating re-admission of irregular immigrants, 4) protecting migrants against exploitation and exclusion and 5) promoting asylum and international protection. Unlike the AENEAS programme, the new thematic programme will not cover countries with an EU membership perspective.
Cooperation with industrialised countries This programme lays down a framework for widening and deepening cooperation with developed countries and newly industrialised countries which share similar political, economic and institutional structures to the EU and which are important political and trading partners for the EU (OECD countries, industrialised Asian countries, Gulf countries).