As part of its efforts to reform the management of external aid the Commission formally set up the EuropeAid Co-operation Office on 1 January 2001.
EuropeAid Co-operation Office's mission is to implement the external aid instruments of the European Commission which are funded by the European Community budget and the European Development Fund. It does not deal with pre-accession aid programmes (Phare, Ispa and Sapard), humanitarian activities, macro-financial assistance, the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) or the Rapid Reaction Facility.
The Office is responsible for all phases of the project cycle (identification and appraisal of projects and programmes, preparation of financing decisions, implementation and monitoring, evaluation of projects and programmes) which ensures the achievement of the objectives of the programmes established by the Directorates-General for External Relations and Development and approved by the Commission.
In a wider context EuropeAid manages funds as part of the Commission's external assistance. External assistance is central to the EU's role in the world. By pooling their resources in the EC budget for this common purpose, EU Member States have shown their commitment to a Union defined by the values of external assistance. In turn, the Commission strives to reinforce the impact of such assistance, by increasing the coherence between the EU's external assistance and its other policies.
Why provide external assistance?
Poverty, conflict and instability, wherever they are in the world, affect us all. In the context of globalisation, it is in our common European interest to address these issues. EuropeAid, through the EC's external assistance programmes, contributes to such a response.
It is also involved in initiatives to improve programming systems and their content, to establish policy evaluation programmes and to develop mechanisms for feeding back evaluation results.
This means that:
- EuropeAid ensures that Community aid is implemented effectively, whilst providing high standards of quality and speed in the design and implementation of projects. It is responsible for setting up mechanisms to promote sound financial management, consistency and transparency in the contract award procedures while continuing to simplify and rationalise external aid management procedures.
- EuropeAid handles the devolution to Commission Delegations of all operations which can be better managed locally, and the decentralisation to beneficiary countries. It sets up the management, supervision, support and control systems needed to achieve these objectives.
- EuropeAid fosters a culture based on individual and collective responsibility. This is done by giving staff clearly defined responsibilities and providing them with the initial and subsequent training they need to maintain a high level of professional skills.
- EuropeAid works openly and constructively with the other Commission services involved in external relations, both in Brussels and in Delegations, as well as with the Member States, particularly their aid agencies.
- EuropeAid works in closer co-operation with Community agencies and bodies able to assist the Commission in its activities, and with other bilateral and multilateral donors. It also develops the dialogue with the many partners - businesses, civil society and administrations - implementing aid measures on behalf of the European Commission and beneficiary countries.
Directorate A
Europe, Southern Mediterranean, Middle East and Neighbourhood policy
