EL BLOG DE LA FIIAPP. Cooperación Española

Spain is one of the countries that has helped to make this possible through the management, by the FIIAPP, of projects in different spheres, from health care to agriculture, fishing, the environment and the economy, as well as the fight against corruption. Moreover, being helped by another European country with a rather Mediterranean character, as is the case of Spain, has been and remains more readily understandable than that of a Nordic country, for example.

Negotiations for Croatia’s accession to the EU ran from October 2005 to June 2011. These negotiations included some transition periods which go beyond the accession date. These periods enable the FIIAPP to continue managing projects in the country, which will help it to achieve the different objectives set by the EU. Most of the time, these are very specific details about how to develop certain regulations or how to apply certain EU criteria.

The fact that Spanish experts have been contracted in Croatia for the management of these projects on the ground enables us to get to know the situation first-hand and what the Croats think of their entry into the Union.

Adolfo Merino, RTA (Resident Twinning Adviser) of the project managed by the FIIAPP about structural policies and state aid in the fishing sector, tells us about the atmosphere in the country in the days prior to the accession.

“In the streets, there is a mixture of expectation and mistrust. There are critical voices who highlight the bad economic situation of many of the member states of the EU and question whether now is the right time to join. On the other hand, we come across others that are more positive and optimistic, who see the possibility of increasing their market and obtaining financial assistance which could help them improve in some aspects.

However, in the Administration the atmosphere is one of nervousness, doubts and haste: “Have we done our homework?”

Adolfo tells us that his project can be considered another step forward along the road taken years ago, as the FIIAPP has already managed other fishing projects in the country. And the clearest impact on the lives of the Croats is that, thanks to the assistance received, they will be able to benefit from the structural aid earmarked for the Croatian fishing sector. “We hope that this will strengthen the sector and improve the living conditions of those who depend on fishing and aquaculture.”

Comunication FIIAPP

Without a doubt, international migrants are an important driver of development in their countries of origin, hence the need for public policies which make it possible to maximise the positive impact of migration.

The remittances from migrants represent over 10% of the GDP of many developing countries and amply exceed the volume of flows of Official Development Aid (World Bank). Remittances can reduce poverty in the countries of origin and also generate greater investments with the support of more appropriate public policies.

The social protection of migrant workers is another area in which specific responses are required from governments.Numerous south-south migrants do not have social protection in the countries of origin and destination, and at the same time they encounter considerable difficulties in maintaining and transferring the rights they have acquired. 

In addition, the integration of the migratory dimension into national training and employment policies can contribute to the development of the countries of origin, favouring links between national and international labour markets.

Finally, strengthening the social links between the diaspora and their countries of origin and their identification with those countries can be a cornerstone for citizen participation, thereby enriching diversity.

These aspects comprise the core of the study entitled “Challenges and priorities of the public administrations of Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Morocco and Senegal with regard to migration and development”, produced within the framework of the MeDAO project, an initiative led by the FIIAPP and funded by the EU and the AECID.

On 12 June 2013, we had the pleasure of presenting this study at Casa Árabe, sharing our proposals with experts in development, representatives from the administrations of the four countries and migrants’ associations.

Marzia Cardinali. Coordinator of the MeDAO project.

Engineers specialised in investigating impacts in traffic accidents, entomologists with expert knowledge of the organisms which cause the decomposition of bodies, anthropologists capable of making bones speak and geneticists who can identify suspects from the tiniest of blood samples, have alltravelled to Turkey.

But this project was interesting not only because of the variety of skills involved. Quite apart from the fact that, on some of its activities, you had the impression that you were in anepisode of the TV series CSI, the numbers of the project are spectacular: Over 200 activities were carried out (which means virtually 10 activities a month). Over 2000 professionals received direct training. Some of them also trained as trainers, so they can now give other courses, spreading the results even more. A number of laboratories have certified some of its procedures with the very highest quality standards at European and world level. To make all this possible,we needed experts from 6 European countries, involving 17 institutions (universities and public administrations) and over 100 experts in explosives, ballistics, drugs, gender violence or psychiatry, to give just some examples.

In short,a project that has efficiently invested 2 billion euros in improving Turkish forensics.

But the main objective of this project is not just the immediate one of helping improve the institutions responsible for forensics.Projects of this kind would be of little use if they only benefited the institute in which we intervene. It is very important for us to ensure that the projects have a direct impact on improving the living conditions of the local population. This project will help Turkey to move towards the technical standards necessary for its future access to the European Union, but even more important is the fact that it helps to improve the quality of Turkish justice. And few things are so highly valued by citizens as a justice system which really solves their problems.

But, despite all this, we have only just begun. The project has paved the way for intensified collaboration between Spain and Turkey on questions of Justice. The institutions in both countries are already drawing up an agenda of pressing matters for cooperation. In the sphere of forensic sciences, discussion has already begun on such important lines of cooperation as research into violence against women or the reconstruction of traffic accidents. And in June the Spanish Ministry of Justice will travel to Ankara to study these and other lines of collaboration in greater depth. We hope to accompany them along the road towards accession to the EU.

Mariano Guillén
Project Officer

Changes in the main external action instruments

The October 2011 Agenda for Change is the programming document for the future development cooperation of the EU, introducing concepts such as the differentiated focus (geographical concentration), coordinated action (joint programming, innovative funding mechanisms such as blending, etc.) and the coherence of policies. The EU will focus its development cooperation efforts on:

• human rights, democracy and other key elements of good governance, as the basis for
• inclusive and sustainable growth for human development.

The agenda will focus on three sectors per country (sectorial concentration). Pending adoption of the financial instruments, the EuropeAidcooperation office and the European External Action Service (EEAS) are preparing the 2014-2020 programming of funds, applying a series of new focuses:

• Adaptation of the programming cycles to the cycles of the member countries(national development plans)
• Reinforcement of the joint programming between the EU and the member states
• Division of responsibilities between the EEAS(political economy analysis and programming)andDevCo (annual action programmes and programming of thematic lines)

Pre-Accession Instrument(€14.11 billion, an 8% increase compared to the 2007-2013 financial framework). Beyond the funding of the chapters of the community acquis, theprogramming will include funding for support to the implementation of national development strategies. Reinforcement of the sectorial approaches (large programmes instead of individualised projects).

European Neighbourhood Instrument(€18.8 billion, a 23% increase). Generalisation of the “more for more” approach of the SPRING programme. Russia can only receive funding on multi-country and cross-border cooperation programmes.

Association Instrument(€1.13 billion, a 230% increase).  It funds EU interests abroad and global challenges (external dimension of the 2020 agenda of the EU) primordially in medium and high income countries (including LAC). This instrument does not require the fulfilment of ODA criteria.

European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights(€1.57 billion, a 21% increase). The objectives and the funding of activities are maintained without the consent of the countries in which the work is undertaken.

Stability Instrument(€2.83 billion, a 42% increase). Simplification of the components:response to emergency situations (Service for Foreign Policy Instruments), conflict prevention (EuropeAid) and worldwide and trans-regional threats (EuropeAid).

European Development Fund(€34.27 billion, a 13% increase). The 11^thEDFis maintained without major changes as an inter-governmental instrument outside the general budget of the EU.

Development Cooperation Instrument(€14.11 billion, an 8% increase):

• Differentiated approach: concentration in 27 countries with low incomes in Asia, Latin America and Southern Africa (graduation of 19 countries towards non-ODA cooperation)
• Reduction in Thematic Instruments(increase in flexibility between budgetary lines):
  • Thematic programme on global challenges and public goods (environment and climate change, sustainable energy, human development, food security, migration and asylum) (€6.3 billion)
  • Thematic programmes on civil society organisations (CSOs) andlocal authorities (LAs) (€2 billion)
  • Pan-African Programme(€1 billion)
• Latin America:
  • Graduation of medium-income countriesexcept Central America, Paraguay and Bolivia (debate about Ecuador, Peru and Colombia)
  • Reinforcement of regional cooperation(continental and multi-country programmes). The following estimative figures are currently being negotiated:
  • €885 million for regional cooperation(€556 million in 2007-13)
  • €160 million for multi-country projects in the Andean region
  • €120 million for regional cooperation with Central America
  • To these funds, we must add those of cooperation with the Caribbean (EDF), which could be combined with the funds of the DCI in future continental programmes.
    • Countries of Latin America cooperate but do not integrate: disappearance of specific support packages to sub-regional processes (exceptSICA)
    • Increase in funding for “innovative” instruments and blending(Investment in Latin America Mechanism)

Tobías Jung
Antenna of the FIIAPP in Brussels

Every day, we take the bus, the train, the metro, we drive our cars through tunnels that take us to our places of work, we visit hundreds of places which have certain safety standards in place and, in the majority of cases, we do not know what they are; in fact, we don’t even think about it.

Sometimes, we don’t even check whether there’s a fire extinguisher in the building in which we live, which we enter and exit several times a day. I’m sure that many of you reading this will now be thinking “It’s true. Are there any fire extinguishers in my block of flats? And what about in the office, where are they? I’ve never checked.”

A simple extinguisher is sufficient to put out a small fire, but we have to take into account that it lasts for around 60 seconds and therefore we have to know certain basic rules. On the extinguisher itself, there are instructions for use and the precautions to be taken but, can you imagine reading and trying to take in all that information when your kitchen or your computer is on fire?
I bet many of you have never even thought about how to use an extinguisher…

Charo Palomo. FIIAPP Communication

With the collaboration of ASEPEYO, the FIIAPP has organised basic firefighting courses for its workers.

But, in addition, it inspires other reflections, perhaps best considered here, of a personal and professional nature, individual and collective, from continent-wide to local:

1. Latin America and Europe improve each other, they need to work together, but in addition to doing so through new communication technologies, it is vital to meet face to face, converse and listen to each other.
2. Peru. The week of the Forum coincided with the World Economic Forum for Latin America, just over two kilometres from us. However, it was Repsol and its possible purchase by the Peruvian government that made headlines. It was front-page news for three consecutive days in El Comercio, the newspaper of reference in Peru. Economic growth also occupied many column inches, given the current positive situation in Peru. This was very much in evidence in Lima, with its bustling streets, its new constructions and its excellent services. For the organisation of its Annual Forum, EUROsociAL turned to three local providers (Hotel Sol de Oro, Tres Mitadesand Lima Tours), which understood our needs and worked in coordination with each other.

In chats over a cup of coffee or a glass of pisco, frequent themes were prudence regarding growth and the concern about the dependency on mineral resources. The challenge is there, and human capital is very valuable.

1. Cuzco, a tourist centre of worldwide fame, teeming with people eager to see Machu Pichu, Aguas Calientes, Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Moras, Moray, the Sacred Valley, etc. In this spectacular setting, there are still considerable pockets of poverty despite the considerable demand for labour and the great number of people passing through throughout the year, bringing their foreign currencies with them. It reminds me of the words of Eduardo Steinwhen he was Vice-President of Guatemala, who recognised the immense difficulty of reaching extreme poverty, a phrase which we also heard in the Course on the 4^th Master Planat the Diplomatic School. After 10 years in cooperation through a government agency, an international development body, a DNGOand a regional programme of the EU, we continue to ask ourselves the same question.

At this point, I feel I need to mention some names of people without whom these two weeks would not have been the same: Katia, Melisa, Luis, Verónica, Diego, Jayki, Johana, Lorena, Vanesa, Eduardo, Natalia, Michelle, Franca, Alejandro, Rosana, Blanca, Patricia, Martha, Anny, Carlos, Liliana, Liz, Gisela. Many thanks to each and every one of you.
Speaking of good tastes, they are to be found everywhere in Lima, in every restaurant of every city of a country with an indescribable gastronomy… or perhaps just the opposite.
And, to end, an evocation of Lima and what is considered one of the best openings to a novel (Conversation in the Cathedral, by Mario Vargas Llosa), which I read to myself, in a low voice, right there on that Avenue:

“From the doorway of La Crónica Santiago looks at the Avenida Tacna without love: cars, uneven and faded buildings, the gaudy skeletons of posters floating in the mist, the gray midday.  At what precise moment had Peru fucked itself up?  The newsboys weave in and out among the vehicles halted by the red light on Wilson, hawking the afternoon papers, and he starts to walk slowly toward Colmena.  His hands in his pockets, head down, he goes along escorted by people who are also going in the direction of the Plaza San Martín.  He was like Peru, Zavalita was, he’d fucked himself up somewhere along the line.  He thinks: when?  Across from the Hotel Crillón a dog comes over to lick his feet: don’t get your rabies on me, get away.  Peru all fucked up, Carlitos all fucked up, everybody all fucked up.  He thinks: there’s no solution.  He sees a long line at the taxi stop for Miraflores, he crosses the square, and there’s Norwin, hello, at a table in the Zela Bar, have a seat, Zavalita, fondling a chilcano and having his shoes shined, he invites him to have a drink.  He doesn’t look drunk yet and Santiago sits down, tells the bootblack to shine his shoes too.  Yes, sir, boss, right away, boss, they’ll look like a mirror, boss.”

Reflections after the forum held by EUROsociAL in Lima in April