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Commission allocates €2.7 billion to African, Caribbean and Pacific countries to meet global development challenges
Reference:  IP/09/404    Date:  13/03/2009
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IP/09/404

Brussels, 13 March 2009

Commission allocates €2.7 billion to African, Caribbean and Pacific countries to meet global development challenges

This Friday 13 March the European Commission and the African, Caribbean and Pacific Countries (ACP) Group signed a cooperation agreement for a total of €2.7 billion. Thanks to this global agreement, funded via the 10th European Development Fund, 77 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries will benefit from aid in a wide range of sectors such as health, water, combating climate change and peace-keeping.

Commenting on the agreement, Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid Louis Michel said: “These €2.7 billion will be used to help the ACP countries meet global challenges in the fields of health, combating climate change, water and peace-keeping. The signing of this agreement and the allocation of this money come at a crucial time. The developing countries are being hit hard by the economic and financial crisis. It is more vital than ever that Europe show its solidarity with them. This agreement is part of the strong partnership we have maintained with the ACP countries for over two decades now.”

The €2.7 billion will be used for:

  • health, especially the fight against malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS: up to €300 million (via the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria),
  • the environment and the effort to combat climate change, including the prevention of natural disasters: €500 million,
  • agriculture and the development of the private sector: €400 million,
  • water, sanitation and infrastructure: €500 million,
  • peace and security: €400 million.

This Commission aid of €2.7 billion in favour of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Countries (ACP) Group comes under the 10th European Development Fund (EDF) and is in addition to the €14 billion already allocated in 2007-08 to the ACP regions and countries for the period 2008-13. It is aimed at “intra-ACP” supra-regional cooperation, which covers regional operations to help several ACP states at once or all of them together and which can transcend the concept of geographical location.

Such operations are complementary to national and regional programmes and may be divided into three main categories:

  1. support for worldwide initiatives in the health sector, such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM),
  2. support for actions in favour of all the ACP countries together, particularly in the field of the environment and the prevention of natural disasters, water, energy and infrastructure, but also measures to support the private sector and education, research and culture,
  3. support to help Africa pursue the common effort towards peace and security throughout the continent via the African Peace Facility (AFP), institutional support for the African Union and also support for African integration, particularly in the field of research, agriculture and rural development.