Why is it important to get involved in the MTR?

It is the time for the civil society’s actors to take an active part to increase its involvement and the democratic accountability in the programming and review of the aid programmes. Therefore, the MTR represents an important opportunity for civil society actors to raise relevant concerns, engage effectively in the discussions and influence the negotiations of the MTR. It is urgent to act now because the period for the consultation of the civil society is very short (the in country MTR exercise is taking place from early July to mid-October) and it is critical to get your voice! It is also important to ask for an effective involvement of the European Parliament and national ACP parliaments in the programming and implementation of EU aid. Finally, it is also an important time to act because the negotiations for the 2nd revision of the Cotonou Agreement will be taking place from May 2009 to January 2010. These negotiations are crucial for the outcome of future partnership between the EU and ACP countries. Once again, civil society must promote development objectives as the framework of cooperation.

Your organisations definitively have a role to play and can take several actions:

  • Contact delegations and National Authorizing Officers indicating desire to be involved in the process of the review of the 10th EDF.
  • Press for the publication for all relevant documents on the Mid-Term Review of your country’s CSP and NIP.
  • Press for the implementation of the Commission’s road map for engaging the civil society in MTRs. The road map is available on www.acp-programming.eu
  • Send any reviews of your country’s implementation of development programmes, particularly of the EU, so they can be published on the programming website (www.acp-programming.eu). This website is a tool at your disposal to collect and share information and experiences on the MTR process.
  • Complete the questionnaire of the toolkit for ACP feedback on the implementation and review of the 10th EDF in your country before the end of September 2009 and send it to acp@eurostep.org or to Eurostep, Rue Stevin 115, 1000 Brussels. It is important to fulfil and send it back as the gathered information will lead to an assessment of the involvement of CSOs in the MTR process. The results will be compiled in a study to be submitted to the European Commission.