development aid

Development aid (also development assistance, international aid, overseas aid or foreign aid) is aid  given by governmental and economic agencies to support the economic, social and political development of developing countries. Development aid may come from developed or developing country governments as well as from international organizations such as the World Bank. It is distinguished from humanitarian aid as being aimed at alleviating poverty in the long term, rather than alleviating suffering in the short term (Foreign aid, on the other hand, includes both development aid and humanitarian aid. Some governments include military assistance in the notion "foreign aid", although many NGOs tend to disapprove of this).
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The beginnings of the European Community's development policy coincided with the signature of the Treaty of Rome in 1957, and the Member States' overseas countries and territories were its first beneficiaries. However, it is only since the entry into force of the Treaty on European Union that this policy has enjoyed a specific legal basis (Articles 177 to 181 of the EC Treaty). With the successive enlargements of the Union, cooperation has gradually extended to other countries, such as the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries (ACP) which have a particularly close and long-standing relationship with certain Member States. The Cotonou Agreement, signed in June 2000, has strengthened this partnership, which is to a large extent based on the various Lomé Conventions, the first of which was signed in 1975.

In addition to these initial agreements, other countries also benefit from the Community's development policy, such as the countries of Latin America and Asia.

The main objective of the European Community's development policy is to eradicate poverty. This policy is implemented not only through bilateral and regional agreements but also through specific programmes in certain sectors such as health, particularly with a view to combating communicable diseases, and education. The development policy also entails cooperation with international institutions and the participation of the Community and Member States in initiatives implemented at global level such as the Initiative for Highly Indebted Poor Countries.

Today, the Union is the main partner of developing countries. The European Community and its Member States together provide 55% of international development assistance.

See:

•Humanitarian aid