Towards efficient External Financing Instruments serving a multi-stakeholder development policy

In view of the mid-term revision of the External Financing Instruments, as well as in view of the future programming period, the Political representatives of PLATFORMA recommend in a policy position adopted at the Political Council meeting on 26th of April 2017:

• that the European development cooperation policy continues to be value driven, and aiming at eradicating poverty and inequalities. In this regard, we call on the EU to build on the international action of European local and regional government to strengthen EU development policy in all partner countries, including those to be graduated, middle income countries and upper middle income countries.
• A political and strategic approach to engage with local and regional governments in partner countries, notably to implement development effectiveness principles – particularly to guarantee local ownership. The EU delegations must engage in a regular dialogue and systematic consultation with local and regional governments – preferably with their representative associations at national or regional level – in order to design development programmes, to define the most suitable financing modalities, as well as for the monitoring process. In this respect, a Roadmap for cooperation with local and regional governments could be drafted by EU delegations in each country.
• The systematic inclusion of capacity building for local and regional governments and their associations in EU development programmes in partner countries and the recognition that local and regional governments involved in decentralised cooperation (North/South, South-South) are key to support their counterparts in partner countries.

Read the full policy position here or on the right of this article.