The 2021 European Development Cooperation Revolution

Abstract

In the founding treaties of European integration, aid was only established for the former French, Belgian and Dutch colonial territories. Following the process of decolonisation and Britain's accession to the European Community, specific treaties began to be drawn up to provide aid to the former colonies. The longest-lasting treaties were the Lomé and Cotonou Agreements. Each of these agreements included a European Development Fund for the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries, and for the European Overseas Territories (OCTs). Over the years, Europe has expanded its cooperation instruments, increasing the number of countries benefiting from its aid, including Iron Curtain countries. After years of arguing over whether the European Development Fund should be funded by assessed contributions from EU member states, or whether it should be budgeted, the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027 has unified all development cooperation lines in the EU's General Budget. In recent years, the EU has made its cooperation conditional on the monitoring of the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda, something those emerging donors such as China and Russia do not do, as they continue to condition their aid on their own interests, leaving the EU's action at a clear disadvantage.