Partnership lost? The EU’s Mediterranean aid programmes

Abstract:

The European Union's financial assistance is a vital instrument of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership. But to what extent is policy formulation/country programming informed by partnership principles? A study of the current programming system, focused on Morocco, reveals that partner governments have been marginalized and civil society excluded from this level of aid management. This situation (not substantially altered by recent EU initiatives such as the European Neighbourhood Policy) is a result of the Union's desire to use its aid in a more efficient and strategic manner. While this is understandable, it may well have a pernicious effect on the Union's broader objectives.

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