Significant new EU support for Latin America announced
25 Mar 2014 12:45 PM
European Development Commissioner, Andris
Piebalgs, yesterday announced new EU support of €2.5 billion for Latin
America for the years 2014 to 2020 (including funding for regional programmes,
and for the bilateral envelopes to the eligible
countries).
The
new financial package, which is part of the Development Cooperation Instrument,
now published, was discussed yesterday at the EUROsociAL conference in
Brussels, where decision makers and high level representatives from the EU and
Latin America will come together to discuss future cooperation between the two
regions.
Ahead of the event, Commissioner Piebalgs said:
"This aid package marks a new step in the way we work with Latin America,
and sends a very strong signal of our commitment to continuing to support the
region’s development efforts. We are not turning our back on this
continent; we are looking forward with it, together.
“I’ve visited Latin America several times
recently and have been very proud to see the EU’s contribution to the
impressive progress the continent has made over the last decade. I’m
convinced that this new chapter in our relationship will see our partnership
flourishing.”
The
new regional funding will be focused on the areas where it can make the
greatest difference; which have been identified in consultation with the Latin
American partner countries:
• security
• good governance, accountability and social
equity
• inclusive and sustainable economic
growth
• environmental sustainability, resilience and
climate change
• education and training programmes for young
peoples under Erasmus+
A
sub-regional programme for Central America is also included in today's
package.
In
line with the Agenda for Change– the Commission’s policy blueprint
to focus aid on those countries which need it most and sectors where it can
make the biggest difference – the EU has reshaped the way that it works
in Latin America. This means a more strategic partnership between the two going
forward, in which the two regions seek solutions to common challenges (e.g.
climate change) via regional cooperation.
Yestertday's funding came from the Development
Cooperation Instrument (DCI), which is part of the overall EU
budget.,
18
countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba,
Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay,
Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela) are covered by the DCI and eligible for these
regional funds.
At
the same time, bilateral cooperation with countries facing the greatest
challenges in Latin America (Bolivia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras,
Paraguay and Nicaragua) will remain significant. Moreover, Colombia, Ecuador
and Peru will benefit from bilateral funding, which will allow for a very
gradual phase out.
EUROsocial: a flagship programme for social cohesion in
Latin America
Despite significant recent growth, inequality remains
one of Latin America's most important challenges.
EUROsociAL has become the European Union´s
flagship programme in Latin America for social cohesion. Under the motto
"Supporting policies, connecting institutions" it brings together
political decision-makers and high-level public servants from European and
Latin American public administrations to develop and implement policies to
reduce social inequalities.
EUROsociAL takes an innovative approach that produces
measurable results despite a relatively small budget, divided among 18 partner
countries in 10 thematic areas. Total EU contribution amounts to €70
million (€30 million during its first phase, from 2004-2009, and €40
million during the second one, from 2011-2014).
It
actively fosters ‘South-South’ cooperation in Latin America (i.e.
when knowledge based on previous cooperation and adjusted to the specific
conditions in a neighbouring country has been transferred from one Latin
American country to another) – spending on which is expected to top
€10 million during the programme’s second phase.
It
is also results-based, supporting only actions that have clearly formulated
goals and are part of broader public policies. For example, some tangible
results include supporting the reform of the labour information system in
Colombia to better match labour market demand and supply, contributing to the
introduction of a new law for handicapped people in Honduras and helping to
implement a new policy on fiscal education in Brazil. It has also fostered many
regional initiatives in Latin America, in areas as diverse as tax
administration, regional development, justice and social and economic
dialogue.
Regional Cooperation with Latin America
A
number of strategic priority areas for the EU’s regional cooperation with
Latin America have been identified in consultation with the Latin American
countries. They include:
-
inclusive and sustainable economic growth, addressing structural weaknesses,
acute economic inequality and over-reliance on extraction of natural
resources;
-
reconciling environmental sustainability with continued development in a region
that is highly vulnerable to climate change and natural
disasters;
-
capacity-building (eg providing training and sharing expertise) of state
institutions responsible for security and rule of law, so as to enhance human
rights and gender equality, build public trust and strengthen the social
contract needed for development to succeed;
-
improvements in governance, accountability and tax collection and spending, so
as to tackle inequality, increase social cohesion and respond to the growing
social demand for quality public services.
Other useful information:
EU
cooperation with Latin America: MEMO/14/213
Commissioner Piebalgs' website:
http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/piebalgs/index_en.htm
EUROsociAL website:
http://www.eurosocial-ii.eu/
Contacts
:
Alexandre
Polack (+32 2 299 06 77)
Maria Sanchez
Aponte (+32 2 298 10 35)
For
the public: Europe Direct by phone 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 or
by e-mail