Ethiopia

This Country Strategy Paper (CSP) reflects the EU Strategy for Africa and the analysis of the Country Diagnostic Survey carried out in 2006 by the Commission with the participation of EU Member States, which provides a framework for Member States and European Commission planned cooperation initiatives in Ethiopia.

All of these initiatives have been designed to align with the priorities of the Government’s national poverty reduction strategy, the Plan for Accelerated and Sustainable Development to End Poverty (PASDEP) and to support the Government in achieving decisive progress in reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) through faster and sustained economic growth, significantly-increased poverty-targeted Government expenditure, higher export and lower population growth, reduction of the infrastructure deficit, strengthening of the democratic process and of the position of women, and reversing environmental degradation.

The indicative financial allocation for Ethiopia totals 644 M€ in programmable funds plus 30M€ for unforeseen needs.

The EC’s contribution to the Response Strategy is built around three focal sectors:

(i) Transport and Regional Integration;
(ii) Rural Development and Food Security, and;
(iii) Macro-Economic Support and Governance.

It is also proposed to include in the non-focal sector:

• a pioneering programme for the restoration and conservation of Ethiopia’s cultural, biological and environmental heritage, and
• a de-mining action.

The proposed interventions have been designed to contribute to reducing regional income inequalities within Ethiopia, as well as to the key objective to achieve and maintain peace, political stability, food security and economic prosperity in the Horn of Africa, and are consistent with the approaches and interventions included in the EC’s Regional Strategy Paper (RSP).

This Joint Response will promote better donor complementarities by working towards joint multi-annual programming based on Ethiopia’s strategies and processes, common implementation mechanisms, joint donor wide missions, and the use of co-financing arrangements.