Cotonou tools

In March 2006, the European Commission adopted the Communication on the EU strategy for the Caribbean, which serves as the framework for EU - Caribbean relations at the political, economic and developmental level for the future and certainly for the lifetime of the Cotonou Agreement.
The communication builds on and integrates previous Commission documents, most notably the "MDG Package" and the "European Consensus", the European Union's new Development Policy.
The objective of the EU Communication on the Caribbean is to highlight how the challenges facing the Caribbean can be transformed into opportunities by focusing on the right "policy-mix". The EU's Caribbean strategy is articulated around a vision of the future based on a history of shared values, in parallel with full optimisation of the opportunities of the Cotonou Agreement. The EU's overarching development objective is to assist all the countries in the Caribbean region to achieve their long term development goals in a self sustaining manner.

03/02/2006

The strategy will bring the EU's relationship with the Pacific into line with the new EU development policy statement adopted by the EU institutions in December 2005 and with the revised Cotonou Agreement of 2005. It will also help put into practice the EU's commitments to aid effectiveness in the region.
The strategy consists of three components:
? stronger political relations on matters of common interest such as global political security, trade, economic and social development and the environment;
? more focused development action, with greater emphasis on regional cooperation to build up critical mass, enhance regional governance and facilitate mutual enrichment;
? more efficient aid delivery, including greater use of direct budget support and closer coordination with other partners, in particular Australia and New Zealand.

03/02/2006