Report from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament – Annual report 2012 on the European Union’s development and external assistance policies and their implementation in 2011

2011 was a year of responding to new challenges and finding new solutions to existing ones. The Arab Spring – people-led movements in the EU's southern neighbourhood – led to calls for greater democracy and social justice. As the situation evolved across the Arab world, initial EU humanitarian support and civil protection measures were followed up with specific strategies and assistance tailored to those countries, supporting sustainable reforms and inclusive economic development. In Sub-Saharan Africa, a package of support from the EU greeted the world's newest state, South Sudan.

As the world’s biggest aid donor, providing over 50% of the world's Official Development Assistance (ODA), the EU and its Member States affirmed their long-term commitment to poverty alleviation. A Communication on "Increasing the impact of EU development cooperation – an Agenda for Change" highlighted support for reducing poverty, democracy, good governance, sustainable and inclusive growth and the need to deliver aid to where it is most needed and where it can have the greatest impact. This had particular resonance given the difficult economic climate in the Eurozone.

The biggest development event on the global calendar – the High Level Forum in Busan, South Korea, in November 2011 – also stressed enhanced effectiveness and co-ordination and the use of delivering aid through national ‘country systems’. The future approach to EU budget support to third countries – one of the EU’s most important tools to give aid more impact and deliver improved results – accompanied the Agenda for Change. The new proposals for financing external aid and development, part of the Multiannual Financial Framework (2014-2020), were published in December 2011, outlining spending plans for the new priorities.

EUR-Lex: COM(2012)444: Follow the progress of this document through the decision-making procedure http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/HIS/?uri=COM:2012:444:FIN

European Commission: SWD(2012)242: Commission staff working document http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=SWD:2012:0242:FIN:EN:PDF

European Commission: EuropeAid: Publications: Annual Report 2012 on the European Community's Development and External Assistance Policies and their Implementation in 2011 http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/multimedia/publications/publications/annual-reports/2012_en.htm

Link to this title through its DOI http://dx.publications.europa.eu/10.2841/60357

European Commission: EuropeAid Development and Cooperation http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/index_en.htm

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