New EC issues paper on enhancing governance in development cooperation

Brussels, 15 June 2006: The European Commission has issued a document called "Towards an European Consensus on governance in development cooperation".

The European Commission's programming strategy on new aid modalities (general and sectoral budget support) are crucially dependent upon the governance capacity of governments and their national administrations. The European Commission has issued a document called "Towards an European Consensus on governance in development cooperation" with the aim to create a debate on effective ways to enhance governance. This includes debate on a essential clauses for these aid modalities. The paper sets the governance debate - which is implicitly also a conditionality debate, in a human rights framework, emphasising the importance of adequate processes to ensure that human rights are respected.