The Regulation addresses the issue of support for a number of specific non-Official Development Assistance (ODA) activities in countries covered by the Development Cooperation Instrument (DCI Regulation No 1905/2006). The Regulation is intended to be a one-off solution to this issue.
The Commission reaffirms that the eradication of poverty, including the pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals, is the primary objective of its development cooperation and remains a priority.
It recalls that the financial reference amount fixed in Article 16 for countries listed in Annex II will be implemented using dedicated budget lines which are intended for activities other than Official Development Assistance.
Furthermore, the Commission confirms its intention to respect the financial reference amount fixed in Article 38 of the Development Cooperation Instrument (Regulation No 1905/2006) for the period 2007-2013 as well as the provisions in the same Regulation regarding the fulfilment of the criteria for ODA. It recalls that on the basis of its current financial planning, this reference amount will be exceeded in 2013.
In this context, the Commission intends to propose draft budgets which ensure a progression in development assistance for Asia and Latin America under the DCI Regulation No 1905/2006 over the period until 2013 so that the currently projected ODA amounts under the DCI and the EU budget generally are not affected.
The European Parliament and the Council take note of the Commission Communication ‘A Budget for Europe 2020’ (COM(2011) 500(1)), in particular in relation to the proposed use of delegated acts in the future external financing instruments and await legislative proposals, which will be duly considered.
The Commission in its Communication: A budget for Europe 2020 (COM(2011) 500), states that:
“Furthermore, the future legal bases for the different instruments will propose the extensive use of delegated acts to allow for more flexibility in the management of the policies during the financing period, while respecting the prerogatives of the two branches of legislator.”
and
“It is considered that democratic scrutiny of external aid must be improved. This could be achieved by the use of delegated acts in accordance with Article 290 of the Treaty for certain aspects of programmes, not only placing the co-legislators on an equal footing but also ensuring more flexibility in programming. For the EDF, it is proposed to bring scrutiny into line with the DCI, whilst taking into account the specificities of this instrument.”.