• News
    • Latest news
    • News search
    • Health
    • Finance
    • Food
    • Career news
    • Content series
    • Try Devex Pro
  • Jobs
    • Job search
    • Post a job
    • Employer search
    • CV Writing
    • Upcoming career events
    • Try Career Account
  • Funding
    • Funding search
    • Funding news
  • Talent
    • Candidate search
    • Devex Talent Solutions
  • Events
    • Upcoming and past events
    • Partner on an event
  • Post a job
  • About
      • About us
      • Membership
      • Newsletters
      • Advertising partnerships
      • Devex Talent Solutions
      • Contact us
Join DevexSign in
Join DevexSign in

News

  • Latest news
  • News search
  • Health
  • Finance
  • Food
  • Career news
  • Content series
  • Try Devex Pro

Jobs

  • Job search
  • Post a job
  • Employer search
  • CV Writing
  • Upcoming career events
  • Try Career Account

Funding

  • Funding search
  • Funding news

Talent

  • Candidate search
  • Devex Talent Solutions

Events

  • Upcoming and past events
  • Partner on an event
Post a job

About

  • About us
  • Membership
  • Newsletters
  • Advertising partnerships
  • Devex Talent Solutions
  • Contact us
  • My Devex
  • Update my profile % complete
  • Account & privacy settings
  • My saved jobs
  • Manage newsletters
  • Support
  • Sign out
Latest newsNews searchHealthFinanceFoodCareer newsContent seriesTry Devex Pro
    • News
    • In the news: European Union

    Toward more effective EU aid for countries in transition

    The European Union already has a menu of policies and tools for supporting countries in transition. But how can the bloc improve and make better use of these mechanisms?

    By Ivy Mungcal // 04 October 2012
    One of the protesters gathered at Tahrir Square during the first anniversary of the Egyptian revolution. The European Union has launched a menu of policies and tools for supporting countries in transition. Photo by: Muhammad Moneib / CC BY-NC-ND

    The European Union already has a menu of policies and tools for supporting countries in transition. But how can the bloc improve and make better use of these mechanisms?

    A new joint communication by the European Commission and the EU High Representative for foreign and security policy attempts to answer this question. It presents concrete proposals on how these tools can be better mobilized while supporting the principles of country ownership.

    The communication also highlights the need to tailor these tools to the unique situation of a given partner country. To this end, the European Commission is proposing the swift deployment of a joint EU services mission in the initial state of a partner country’s transition.

    Another proposal is to secure “quick wins” backed by longer-term development plans. Areas where the European Union can achieve these short-term achievements include elections, employment and basic services, the communication says.

    The communication also proposes financial, economic or political incentives for progress on reforms and sanctions for failure to meet certain targets. The European Union already offers incentives, but the proposal says these tools can be improved by making sure rewards are unambiguous and attached to real performance, among other factors.

    Here are other proposals outlined in the communication:

    • Create mechanisms that will help ensure civil society can actively participate in the transition process.

    • Set up a broader platform for the exchange of information and experiences on transition.

    • Employ the concept of twinning to link public institutions within the European Union to partner countries.

    • Improve coordination between the European Commission and EU member states to avoid duplication and contradiction of aid policies and programs.

    The communication was released Oct. 3, the same day the European Commission forwarded a resilience-building proposal to the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament.

    Read more development aid news online, and subscribe to The Development Newswire to receive top international development headlines from the world’s leading donors, news sources and opinion leaders — emailed to you FREE every business day.

    • Funding
    Printing articles to share with others is a breach of our terms and conditions and copyright policy. Please use the sharing options on the left side of the article. Devex Pro members may share up to 10 articles per month using the Pro share tool ( ).

    About the author

    • Ivy Mungcal

      Ivy Mungcal

      As former senior staff writer, Ivy Mungcal contributed to several Devex publications. Her focus is on breaking news, and in particular on global aid reform and trends in the United States, Europe, the Caribbean, and the Americas. Before joining Devex in 2009, Ivy produced specialized content for U.S. and U.K.-based business websites.

    Search for articles

    Related Stories

    European UnionRevealed: EU aid’s losing internal battle to halt spending cuts

    Revealed: EU aid’s losing internal battle to halt spending cuts

    European UnionUS Paris pullout ‘good’ for European firms, says EU development chief

    US Paris pullout ‘good’ for European firms, says EU development chief

    European UnionScoop: EU wants development staff in regional hubs, not delegations

    Scoop: EU wants development staff in regional hubs, not delegations

    European UnionSalvation or sellout? EU aid in spotlight over export credits

    Salvation or sellout? EU aid in spotlight over export credits

    Most Read

    • 1
      How low-emissions livestock are transforming dairy farming in Africa
    • 2
      Opinion: Mobile credit, savings, and insurance can drive financial health
    • 3
      Opinion: India’s bold leadership in turning the tide for TB
    • 4
      How AI-powered citizen science can be a catalyst for the SDGs
    • 5
      WHO names new directors in ongoing restructure
    • News
    • Jobs
    • Funding
    • Talent
    • Events

    Devex is the media platform for the global development community.

    A social enterprise, we connect and inform over 1.3 million development, health, humanitarian, and sustainability professionals through news, business intelligence, and funding & career opportunities so you can do more good for more people. We invite you to join us.

    • About us
    • Membership
    • Newsletters
    • Advertising partnerships
    • Devex Talent Solutions
    • Post a job
    • Careers at Devex
    • Contact us
    © Copyright 2000 - 2025 Devex|User Agreement|Privacy Statement