The European Commission adopted at the end of August a new Communication in the sector of EU policy of cooperation in development, by which the Executive invites member states and other international donors to “harmonize their efforts to foster the development of democratic institutions and processes, by placing governance at the centre of cooperation”. With a view to encouraging the developing countries to step up their internal reforms, the Communication proposes “reinforced political dialogue, a common approach and greater aid for the better performing governments”: according to Brussels, in fact, without the capacity of the developing countries to guarantee to their own citizens basic services of quality ( access to health care, education, justice, respect for fundamental rights, and transparent and responsible management of economic and natural resources ) “the growth of aid to development would be in vain”. In particular, one innovation planned by the Commission consists of a package of incentives worth 2.7 billion Euros as part of the tenth European Development Fund, accompanied by “boosted aid to the Institutions of the African Union and to the existing mechanisms of self-evaluation in the countries of Africa”.
