European Union development policy

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This article concerns aspects of the European Union's political system that may have changed as a result of the Lisbon Treaty on December 1, 2009.

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The development policy of the European Union deals with development aid measures for third countries. It has to be distinguished from regional policy , which provides assistance to areas within the EU itself that are lagging behind in development. There are close ties to trade and common foreign and security policy .

Legal bases

Development policy is regulated in Articles 177–181 of the EC Treaty and in the related secondary legislation. It thus belongs to the so-called first pillar of the EU, the European Community, which has a supranational structure .

According to Article 177 of the EC Treaty, the aim of development policy is to promote sustainable economic and social development in developing countries , their harmonious, gradual integration into the world economy and the fight against poverty . It is also intended to contribute to the further development and consolidation of democracy and the rule of law as well as to safeguarding human rights in the affected areas. According to Art. 178 of the EC Treaty, development policy aspects must also be taken into account as a so-called cross-sectional task in the context of other policies that may affect developing countries. In the field of development policy, the Community and its Member States have shared competence; According to Art. 180 of the EC Treaty, they coordinate their measures and can also work together.

Within the EU, development policy measures according to Article 179 of the EC Treaty are taken by the Council in the co-decision procedure under Article 251 of the EC Treaty, which leads to a considerably greater involvement of the European Parliament and the Commission than, for example, in the common commercial policy. The responsible committee of the European Parliament is the Committee on Development . The European Investment Bank also contributes to development policy and , together with the European Development Fund, also provides the majority of the financial resources.

In addition to autonomous development policy measures, the EU can also conclude agreements in this area with the states concerned in accordance with Art. 133 or 300 of the EC Treaty. In this case the position of the Commission as negotiator appointed by the Council is stronger, while the Parliament only has a right to be heard.

The special legal regime of Articles 182–188 of the EC Treaty finally applies to development policy towards the areas associated with the EU . It declared large parts of the customs union and the internal market to be applicable accordingly.

General development policy

First of all, there are numerous instruments and mechanisms that are used in relation to all developing countries.

General system of preferences

Countries with an HDI <0.5 or 0.8 (around 2000)
Least Developed Countries (LDC)

The central development policy instrument is the General System of Preferences (GSP), which provides for extensive tariff exemption for imports from the countries concerned. It works with a complex and highly diversified system of incentives to induce developing countries to behave in a desirable political or economic manner. For so-called sensitive goods that compete with products from community producers, a tariff reduction of 8.5% instead of 3.5% is granted if the exporting country complies with certain environmental and human rights standards. Weapons are expressly excluded from the total exemption from customs duties for the 49 least developed countries, the Least Developed Countries . In return, classic “drug countries” in South America and Pakistan are granted full tariff exemption for agricultural and industrial goods. Preferences can be suspended as a sanction for unfair trade practices, the tolerance of forced or child labor, and inadequate controls over drug exports.

Resource regime

Furthermore, the EU participates in the multilateral raw material agreements concluded in 1976 within the framework of the UNCTAD's Integrated Raw Materials Program (e.g. natural rubber 1979/95; tropical wood 1983/94; olive oil 1963/86; wheat 1986; sugar 1992; cocoa 1993 / 2001; coffee 1994/2001). Most of these funds provide for the production of raw materials, and occasionally also “compensation stocks” to combat excessive price fluctuations.

Humanitarian aid

Refugee camp in East Zaire

The EU lays down the basic lines of its autonomous humanitarian aid in regulations , which are then implemented through decisions of the European Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO), a special service of the Commission. Since 2001 there has also been a generalized rapid reaction mechanism . There are also contractual agreements in the area of ​​humanitarian aid, such as the 1995 World Grains Trade Convention .

In the course of food aid , on the basis of Regulation 1292/96, the EU supports countries with structural food shortages such as the states of the Sahel zone or those in specific emergency situations. In this way, it is also reducing the surpluses from the common agricultural policy . The volume is around € 0.5 billion annually. In addition, the EU provides immediate aid for the victims of natural disasters such as the tsunami in 2004 or the earthquake disaster in Iran in 2002, as well as support for refugees in Palestine , Afghanistan , East Africa and Southeast Asia.

Privileged development policy

Recipient countries of privileged development aid

The EU operates privileged forms of development aid with a number of states or groups of states. Particular mention should be made of the areas associated with the EU , the ACP countries and the MEDA and ALA groups . (In 2007 MEDA was incorporated into the ENPI .)

Associated areas

The most privileged in terms of development policy are those under Art. 182ff. EGV of the EU associated areas, essentially the colonies of France and later also of Great Britain . In the course of decolonization, these areas no longer play a major role, especially since the French overseas departments are considered part of the motherland, so that Community law is largely unrestrictedly applicable to them in accordance with Article 299 (2) of the EC Treaty. This leaves ten British, six French and two Dutch territories of mostly modest dimensions and a total of less than one million inhabitants, cf. Associated areas of the EU .

Papeete in Tahiti

A separate legal framework applies to development policy in these areas. The general provisions of Art. 177–181 EGV are superseded by the special provisions of Art. 182–188 EGV.

These grant the associated areas very extensive privileges. The EU does not levy any customs duties on imports from them under Article 184 of the EC Treaty and applies the principles of the internal market, including the free movement of goods, services and capital , in accordance with Article 183 No. 1 EC Treaty ; only the regulation of the freedom of establishment and the free movement of workers are reserved according to Art. 186 EGV or Art. 183 No. 5, 187 EGV to special agreements or a Council decision (today: Decision 2001/822). In return, the associated areas are only subject to a ban on discrimination vis-à-vis the EU, i.e. they may not treat the individual EU states differently. Article 183 of the EC Treaty also provides for EU participation in investments in the associated areas. The residents there are also granted non-discriminatory access to public tenders and procurement procedures within the EU.

ACP countries

Since 1964, the main goal of EU development policy has been the so-called ACP countries , i.e. countries from the regions of Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific. Most of these are former colonies that had previously come under the association. It all started with the 1963 Yaoundé Agreement .

Classic ACP export: cocoa

Very broad concessions were made to this group of countries in the four Lomé Conventions between 1975 and 2000. The EU unilaterally largely renounced import restrictions from the ACP states, while these were only subject to a most-favored nation clause and a ban on discrimination among the EU member states. In addition, the agreements saw certain sector-specific specific measures by the EU to improve the environment, health and education in the ACP countries. In return, they undertook to comply with certain democratic and constitutional standards and to protect human rights . The Lomé Conventions last had an annual volume of around € 2.5 billion.

In the successor agreement , the Cotonou Treaty , which has been in effect since 2000 , the unilateral trade preferences were abandoned. According to a flexible system (FLEX), grants or venture capital are now instead provided according to individual strategies for the respective target country , but there is no entitlement to this. Greater emphasis is also placed on the political component such as strengthening democracy or dialogue on peace and human rights. In addition to adapting development policy to the regulations of the World Trade Organization , the aim of the change was, in particular, to strengthen the autonomy of the ACP countries. The annual volume is around € 2.25 billion.

During the negotiations between the ACP countries and the EU on a new free trade agreement in 2007, it became clear how unequal the balance of power in these negotiations is. From 2008, only genuine free trade agreements are allowed in which both partners open their markets. The developing countries will then have to open their markets to Europe much more widely than before. This has dramatic consequences for Africa, but marginal for Europe. 40 percent of the ACP foreign trade takes place with the EU, only three percent of the EU foreign trade with the ACP countries. In many ACP countries, free trade could lead to economic ruin as such countries cannot defend themselves against cheap imports from the EU.

Mediterranean Union ( Union for the Mediterranean )

As part of the so-called Barcelona Process , the EU is promoting the development of the Arab Mediterranean states as well as Turkey and Israel . The core of this is bilateral agreements with the individual states which, in addition to extensive freedom from customs duties, provide for further trade policy concessions as well as cooperation in the technical and economic area. In many cases there is even an association under Article 310 of the EC Treaty (e.g. Egypt, Israel). Since 1997 there has also been an agreement with the Palestinian Authority in which the EU pledges reconstruction aid. Development aid in the MEDA area has an annual volume of around € 1 billion.

South America and Asia (ALA Group)

Development aid for the 35 South American and Asian countries of the ALA Group is also bilateral. They include u. a. all members of Mercosur , the Andean Pact , the Common Central American Market and ASEAN .

The contracts provide for financial and technical assistance in areas such as agriculture, the environment and family planning and have an annual volume of around € 0.75 billion. Similar to development aid for the ACP countries, a close link to compliance with certain political standards by the target countries is provided. If they are violated, the benefits can be suspended or limited to purely humanitarian measures.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ F. Missèr, D. Johnson, N. Fichtner: Free trade war. Trade agreement between EU and ACP. In: taz.de. October 26, 2007, archived from the original on April 23, 2008 ; accessed on January 11, 2014 .
  2. ↑ ALA: Asia and Latin America (Eng.)