Development Cooperation and Economic Cooperation Instrument (DCECI)

Period: 2007-2013
Budget: EUR 17 055 million

The aim of the Community's Development Cooperation and Economic Cooperation instrument is to support development cooperation, economic cooperation, financial cooperation, scientific and technical cooperation and any other form of cooperation with the partner countries and regions. The overall objective is to help developing countries achieve the Millennium Development Goals, and consequently, reduce poverty.

There are five main principles that govern the implementation of DCECI:

• Consistency between the different areas of external activity, with other Community policies and with Commission communications and Council resolutions;

• Coordination of cooperation policies and measures between Member States, and the Commission and with Commission communications and Council resolutions;

• Coordination with other bilateral or multilateral donors in pursuit of the overall objective of EU external action of promoting a multilateral approach to resolution of international problems;

• Redirection of Community assistance towards forms of sectoral and budgetary support aimed in particular at consolidating national development strategies and reform policies, making Community assistance more effective, promoting ownership, enhancing local capacity and encouraging coordination and complementarity between donors;

• Respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, democratic principles and the rule of law.

The target countries for DCECI are all those countries that are not eligible for assistance under the IPA and the ENPI. DCECI is comprehensive and covers cooperation with both the regions of partner countries, and all the horizontal or thematic initiatives for the benefit of the partner countries.

The eligible territories and regions for DCECI are those except:

• The Member States of the Community;

• The Overseas Countries and Territories

• The countries eligible for the IPA (Albania, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro and Turkey);

• The countries eligible for the new ENPI (Algeria, Armenia, the Palestinian Authority of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, Azerbaijan, Byelorussia, Egypt, the Russian Federation, Georgia, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Moldavia, Syria, Tunisia and Ukraine).

The following bodies and institutions are eligible to receive funding through DCECI:

• Partner countries and regions, and their institutions

• Decentralised bodies in the partner countries, such as regions, departments, provinces and municipalities

• Joint bodies set up by the partner countries and regions with the Community

• International organisations, including regional organisations, UN bodies, departments and missions, international financial institutions and development banks, in so far as they contribute to the objectives of this Regulation

• Community institutions and bodies

• European Union agencies

• The following entities and bodies of the Member States, partner countries and regions and any other third country: public or parastatal bodies, local authorities and consortia thereof; companies, firms and other private organisations and businesses; financial institutions that grant, promote and finance private investment in partner countries and regions; non-state actors; natural persons.