The cornerstone of partnership and cooperation

Commitment to the fundamental values of democracy, human rights and rule of law is the cornerstone of any partnership and cooperation between the EU and beneficiary countries. It is also why the EU is now focusing on partner countries where it can have the greatest impact, while supporting sustainable economic growth.

Recent people-led movements in North Africa and the Middle East have demonstrated that the objectives of development, democracy, human rights, good governance and security are strongly linked. The so-called Arab Spring, or ‘Arabellion’, also sent a strong message to politicians, policy-makers and civil society – it is critical to offer a future to today’s youth.

In its introduction to its Partnership for Democracy and Shared Prosperity with the Southern Mediterranean, the EU points out that its Member States have experience of democratic transition; the EU has a proud tradition of supporting countries in transition from autocratic regimes to democracy, first in the South and then more recently in Central and Eastern Europe.

European Development Days 2011 (EDD11) was held in Warsaw, Poland, 15-16 December 2011. The theme was ‘Development and Democracy’.  www.eudevdays.eu

High-Level Panels at EDD 11

Related links:

Read the European Commission’s Communication on the EU’s Partnership for Democracy and Shared Prosperity in the Southern Mediterranean

 Read the press release