The ABCs of the Cotonou Partnership Agreement (part two)

How is the Cotonou Agreement implemented?

By our staff reporter

 I. Institutional Arrangements
Three major institutional bodies of the EU play distinctive roles in the decision-making and management process of Cotonou:
i) ACP-EU Council
This body is made up of EU Council of Ministers; representatives of the European Commission; and government officials from each APC country.
The Council meets once a year and is the highest decision making body with regard to Cotonou. It conducts high-level political dialogue, adopts global policy guidelines, examines and resolves problems and ensures the smooth functioning of the consultation mechanisms within Cotonou.
ii) APC-EU Committee of Ambassadors
This body is made up of the permanent representatives of the member states, on one hand, and representatives of the European commission and the head of mission of each ACP state, on the other. The Committee of Ambassadors assists the ACP-EU Council of Ministers in the fulfillment of its tasks, caries out assignments by it and monitors the implementation of Cotonou.
iii) ACP-EU joit Parliamentary Assembly (JPA)
Composed of equal numbers of representatives of the European Commission and from APC parliaments, it meets twice a year. The role of the JPA is to promote democratic process thru dialogue and consultation, raise public awareness of development issues, and discuss issues pertaining to development and Cotonou, adopt resolutions and make recommendations to the APC-EU Council.
iv) APC Secretariat
The secretariat is Based in Brussels and made up of officials from the ACP states. Ot is charged with servicing the three joint institutions and facilitates the implementation of Cotonou.
ACP regions
1. Southern and Coastal Western Africa
2. Central Africa
3. Eastern Africa and Horn of Africa
4. Southern Africa
5. The Caribbean
6. The Pacific


II. Financial Instruments
Financial resources will be channeled thru two main instruments:
i) Grant Facility
This is a lump sum of EDF (European Development Fund) funds allocated to an ACP country on the basis of both need and performance from which a range of operations can be financed which may include shortfall in export earnings, debt-relief, etc…
The grant facility is managed by the Commission together with the ACP state concerned thru a system of ’rolling programming’.
The Cotonou agreement provides for regional programming based on existing regional organizations with mandates for economic integration. In Africa this would include SADC, IGAD, COMESA and ECCAS.
ii) Investment Facility
The investment facility which is managed by the European Investment Bank, aims at helping the private sector in APC countries and focuses on fields of intervention and operation that cannot be financed sufficiently from private capital or local financial institutions.
In addition to the EDF funds allocated thru Cotonou, the EU also provides resources to the ACP states from number of other budget lines managed by the European commission and directly financed by the overall EU budget.
Examples of relevant budget lines
NGO co-financing;
Environment
European initiative for Democracy and Human Rights;
Decentralized cooperation;
Fight against AIDS;
Food and support operations;
 

III. Program Cycle
i) The starting point of the programming is development of a Country or regional strategy Paper for each ACP country or region.
The Strategy paper is established thru dialogue with recipient country as well as on-state actors. I should include an objective analysis of the political, economic and social situation with in a country and a based on the country’s own development strategy. A number of priority activities have been set for EU development aid and will be reflected on the focal sectors of Country and Regional Strategy Papers.
They are: trade and development; regional integration and cooperation, macro-economic policies; transport; food security and sustainable rural development.
ii) EC Deliration prepares a National or Regional Indicative Program that outlines the operations, the resources allocated from the grant facility and the timetable for their implementation.
iii) The National or Regional Indicative Program is complemented by more detailed sector strategies.
iv) During the implementation period, a flexible and regular review mechanism continuously up dates the Country or Regional Strategy Paper.
(Next week—non-state actor engagement within the framework of the Cotonou Agreement)