Development

The European Union (EU) is a key player as regards international development aid, one of the four main strands of its external policies. The foundations of development cooperation are laid down in the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (Title III). The main objective of this policy is to reduce and then eradicate poverty, targeting countries in greatest need and focussing on aspects such as social protection, health, education, jobs, business development, sustainable agriculture and energy. EU development policy has developed gradually: at the outset, it covered only overseas countries and territories associated with the EU but was then extended to include all developing countries.

• Development – general rules
  • EU development policy
  • European development policy
    • The new European consensus on development
    • EU humanitarian action
    • Global Europe — the EU Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument
  • International development dialogue
    • Role of the EU in the multilateral system of the UN
    • Partnership with the United Nations: development assistance and humanitarian aid
    • Scientific and technological cooperation between the EU and Mexico
  • Instruments & funding
    • European Development Fund (EDF)
    • Scientific and technological cooperation between the EU and Mexico
    • Global Europe — the EU Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument
• Sectors
  • Human rights and democratic governance
    • Illicit weapons and ammunition - global reporting mechanism
    • Towards more responsible arms transfers: the EU and the Arms Trade Treaty
    • Report on impact of EU funding to stop torture and the death penalty
    • Linking relief, rehabilitation and development (LRRD)
  • Food & agriculture
    • The International Coffee Agreement 2007
  • Economic growth — Trade and customs
    • EU trade policy towards developing countries, including Aid for Trade
    • Trade in rough diamonds: implementing the Kimberley Process
    • Preferential European Union import tariffs for developing countries
    • Involving the private sector in generating jobs and growth in developing countries
    • Fair trade — trade-related sustainability assurance schemes
  • Human development
    • Certain key medicines for developing countries — avoiding trade diversion into the EU
    • Export of generic medicines to developing countries: compulsory licences
    • Eradicating poverty and achieving sustainable development
    • Corporate social responsibility in the EU
    • Children as a focus of EU external action
  • Environment & climate change
    • Basel Convention on the control of transboundary movements of hazardous wastes and their disposal
    • Tackling threats posed by chemicals (Stockholm Convention)
    • United Nations Convention to combat desertification in countries seriously affected by drought
    • Risk reduction - natural and man-made disasters
    • Prevention of natural or man-made disasters in the European Union
    • International trade in hazardous chemicals (Rotterdam Convention)
    • Licensing system for imports of timber to the EU
    • Emergency humanitarian support within the EU
    • Convention on Biological Diversity — Cartagena protocol on biosafety
    • Convention on Biological Diversity
    • Combatting deforestation
    • Combating illegal logging
    • Building up resilience in developing countries
  • Migration & asylum issues in origin countries
    • External EU action to address the refugee crisis
    • Migration and development
• African, Caribbean and Pacific states (ACP)
  • Agreements — Development
    • ACP countries — economic partnership agreements and export arrangements
    • Agreement between the European Community and the Pacific States
    • Agreement with Bangladesh on partnership and development
    • Cotonou Agreement
    • Economic Partnership Agreement between the EU and the CARIFORUM states
    • Economic Partnership Agreement between the EU and the Southern African Development Community countries
    • EU-Côte d'Ivoire Economic Partnership Agreement
    • Interim Economic Partnership Agreement between the EU and the Central Africa Party
    • Political dialogue and cooperation agreement with Cuba
    • Peace Facility for Africa
    • Trade, Development and Cooperation Agreement (TDCA) with South Africa
    • The International Coffee Agreement 2007
• Overseas countries and territories (OCT)
  • Association of the overseas countries and territories with the European Union
• Archived summaries
  • A financing instrument for the promotion of democracy and human rights in the world (2007 – 2013)
  • Tax governance in developing countries
  • Taking EU-Africa dialogue forward
  • Update on the EC Programme for Action - Accelerated action on HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis
  • Untying aid to developing countries
  • Special partnership with Cape Verde
  • The Global Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Fund
  • Supporting developing countries in coping with the crisis
  • The European Union and the United Nations: The choice of multilateralism
  • Transport: guidelines
  • The European Fund for Sustainable Development
  • The European Consensus on Development
  • Strategy for sustainable development
  • Strategy for gender equality in development policy
  • Translating the Monterrey Consensus into practice
  • Strategic Partnership with South Africa
  • Strategic framework for food security in developing countries
  • The EU Role in Global Health
  • The EU contribution towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
  • Towards an EU Aid for Trade strategy
  • Towards a renewed Africa-EU partnership
  • The reform of state-owned enterprises in developing countries
  • The Africa-EU partnership at work
  • Water: water management in developing countries
  • Scheme of preferences from 2006 to 2015 - Guidelines
  • Programme for Action to Confront HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis (2007-2011)
  • Programme for Action to combat lack of personnel in the health sector (2007-2013)
  • Partnership with Africa for the development of the cotton sector
  • Partnership agreements with Non-EU Member Countries
  • Regional integration for development in ACP countries
  • Overseas countries and territories (OCTs): towards a new partnership
  • Policy coherence for development
  • Promoting sustainable transport
  • Mine Action Strategy 2005-2007
  • Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
  • Mid-term report on policy coherence for development
  • International investments: towards a comprehensive European policy
  • International action to help indebted poor countries
  • Land policy in developing countries
  • Keeping Europe's promises on Financing for Development
  • More effective budget support for developing countries
  • Local authorities and development assistance
  • Investing in people
  • Non-state Actors and Local Authorities
  • Fisheries: fisheries and poverty reduction
  • Health: programme for accelerated action on HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis (2001-2006)
  • Health: health and poverty reduction
  • Health: global fund to fight HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria
  • Generalised System of Preferences 2006 - 2008
  • Financing instrument for development cooperation - DCI (2007-2013)
  • Financial cooperation with non-EU countries on nuclear safety (2014–20)
  • Future relations between the EU and Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs)
  • Information and communication Technologies
  • From a strategy for Africa to an EU-Africa strategic partnership
  • Fighting rural poverty
  • Guidelines for cooperation towards development in the area of water resources
  • Fair trade
  • Facility for rapid response to soaring food prices
  • Food Assistance Convention
  • Governance in the consensus on development
  • Governance and development
  • Integrating sustainable development into Community cooperation policy
  • Global partnership for sustainable development
  • Instrument for Stability (2007 – 2013)
  • Global climate change alliance
  • Global action to eradicate poverty and develop sustainably post-2015
  • European Year for Development (2015)
  • European Water Facility for the ACP countries
  • Exceptional aid for highly-indebted ACP States
  • European programme for Reconstruction and Development in South Africa EPRD 2000-06
  • European development and external assistance policies: 2012 report
  • European Development and External Assistance Policies: 2008 Report
  • European development and external assistance policy: 2009 Report
  • Euro-African Partnership for infrastructure
  • EU support for business sector development in third countries
  • EU Strategy for Africa
  • EU-Pacific strategy
  • EU Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace (2014-2020)
  • EU development policy: an agenda for change
  • EU-Africa partnership
  • Essential medicines for developing countries (HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria)
  • Environment and sustainable management of natural resources, including energy
  • Energy cooperation with the developing countries
  • Education and training in the context of poverty reduction
  • Economic partnership between Eastern and Southern Africa States
  • Development of sustainable tourism
  • DCI - the EU’s financing instrument for development cooperation (2014-20)
  • Cooperation with the African Centre for Study and Research on Terrorism
  • Cooperation with indigenous peoples
  • Cooperation with ACP States involved in armed conflicts
  • Cooperation with Non-EU Member Countries on nuclear safety
  • Cooperation with Non-EU Member Countries in the areas of migration and asylum
  • Cooperation and dialogue between the EU, Africa and China
  • Community participation in the initiative to ease the debt burden of highly-indebted poor countries (HIPC)
  • Common framework for joint multiannual programming
  • Combating hunger: strategy for food security
  • Code of Conduct on Complementarity and the Division of Labour in Development Policy
  • Climate change in the context of development cooperation
  • Biodiversity Action Plan for Economic and Development Co-operation
  • Budgetisation of the European Development Fund
  • Assistance for traditional ACP suppliers of bananas - EUR-Lex
  • Association of the overseas countries and territories with the EU
  • Association of the OCTs with the European Community
  • Assisting developing countries to benefit from trade
  • Agricultural commodities, dependence and poverty
  • An EU-Caribbean partnership for growth, stability and development
  • Agreement on trade in wine
  • Agreement on trade in spirits
  • Africa and Europe: strengthening transport cooperation
  • Advancing African agriculture
  • Action Plan for more, better and faster aid
  • ACP-EU Energy Facility
  • Accelerating progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDG)
  • A regional policy partnership for the Horn of Africa