Development Cooperation
The European Union’s support to the Philippines’ development process dates back to 1976, when, for the first time, funds were committed to co-finance NGO grassroots development actions in the country. However, long-term and structured development co-operation only started in 1986, with the Aquino Administration’s commitment to democratic development.
The European Union adopted in 2007 the “The Country Strategy Paper 2007-2013 for the Philippines”, a five-year strategy for its technical and financial assistance to the country, which is operationalized through the Multi-Annual Indicative Programme (MIP). This strategy paper was prepared in consultation with the Philippine Government and the EU Member States and takes into account EU’s goals and policies, the Philippines’ development agenda, and past and ongoing EU cooperation experiences.
EU cooperation with the Philippines for the period 2007-2013 has a financial allocation of €130 million and focuses on helping the Philippines meet its development goals and support political reform processes, enhancing good governance, boosting trade and investments, and restoring peace and security especially in Mindanao.
For the Indicative Program 2011-2013 (part of the 2007-2013 program), the EU has allocated €69 Million for helping improve the delivery of basic social services, concentrating on health sector, good governance, vulnerable populations and trade-related technical assistance.
On behalf of the EU, the European Commission is in the process of drafting the next MIP for the period 2014-2020, which will be based largely on the Philippines’ Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan.
Humanitarian Aid
In terms of humanitarian aid, for 2011 alone, EU has allocated €4 Million to the Philippines, out of a total envelope of €10 million for the Southeast Asian region – covering Philippines, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and Laos.
This €4 Million aid comes in addition to the so called ‘small scale funding’ that the EU gave earlier this year in response to localized floods in Mindanao and Luzon (€600,000 altogether for 4 projects, two for the Mindanao floods, one in central Luzon for typhoon Mearie and one in Camarines Sur for typhoon Juaning).
In March 2012, the European Commission’s Directorate General for Humanitarian and Civil Protection (DG ECHO) announced that the Philippines is again among the five countries in Southeast Asia (others are Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam) which will benefit from the additional €11million worth of humanitarian assistance allocated by the Commission to help those who have become victims of the destructive typhoons, storms and floods that hit these countries late last year. Out of this €11 million, the Commission’s funding allocation for the Philippines is €3.5 million.
The EU also has been providing humanitarian aid to thousands of people displaced by the armed conflict in Mindanao since 1998. From 2008 to 2012, the EU provided additional funding of more than €8 Million to provide food, shelter, water and sanitation facilities to displaced people living in evacuation centers in Mindanao.
The funding was coordinated by DG ECHO in collaboration with the UN agencies, International Red Cross and Non-Governmental Organizations, provided assistance for food, water, sanitation, shelter and health care.
