Newsletter – n°28 – November 2014

The world at a glance

On the occasion of a meeting with the ambassadors of the Latin American countries in Brussels, the EU announced a €925 million regional cooperation package for Latin America for the 2014-2020 period, which represents (in terms of the budget allocated to continental activities) an increase of 45% compared with the 2007-2013 period.

The package comprises two components, the first of which encompasses continental activities (€805 million) and focuses on security, good governance, accountability and inclusive and sustainable growth for human development, while the second component is directed to the sub-region Central America (€120 million) and has a particular focus on regional economic integration, rule of law and disaster management.

In a region particularly affected by the adverse effects of global warming, environmental sustainability and climate change have moreover been identified by the regional cooperation programme as a priority area and in which specific attention has been given to local authorities’ contribution to creating better prepared societies and to development planning.

The cooperation package will be allocated over seven years and is known as the Multiannual Indicative Programme (MIP), which represent an important step in the programming of EU aid under the Development Cooperation Instrument (DCI).

The EU’s Agenda for Change calls for the European Union development cooperation with Latin America to be adapted to reflect the new realities, current advances and the remaining challenges in the region; as a result the EU only continues bilateral programmes with only six Latin American countries - Paraguay, Bolivia, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala – but all countries are eligible under the thematic programme and the regional programme. The current MIP and the strategy and priority areas it defines are the result of close cooperation between the EU, partner countries and stakeholders from civil society, local and regional authorities and the private sector.

In the coming weeks watch out for updates on EU policy and programmes on our websites; with the adoption of the MIP of the operational programmes, we will upload more information on this.