| Review of: | Policy Coherence for Development in the EU Council: Strategies for the Way Forward edited by C. Egenhofer |
|---|---|
| Reviewed By: | Giulia Pietrangeli |
| Reviewed in: | Journal of Common Market Studies |
| Date accepted online: | 02/11/2007 |
| Published in print: | Volume 45, Issue 03, Pages 745-769 |
Book Reviews
Policy coherence for development (PCD) is not a new concept for the international donor community nor is it for the European Union. The principle of coherence of EU policies with development-co-operation objectives was introduced in the Maastricht Treaty which entered into force in 1993. However, only in 2005 was PDC firmly established on the EU agenda, with the Commission adopting a Communication focused on PCD and with the EU Council adopting Conclusions on PCD (May 2005).
The study conducted by the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) examines whether EU policy-making processes in non-development policy areas accommodate 'development-related' priorities and assesses whether they undermine the European development objectives. The analysis concentrates on the 12 thematic areas identified in the 2005 Council Conclusions: trade, environment, climate change, security, agriculture, fisheries, the social dimension of globalization, employment and decent work, migration, research and innovation, information society, transport and energy.
The book is divided into two sections. Part I - the main report - presents a general overview of the concept of PCD and the principal initiatives taken by the EU and other donors to promote coherence for development. It also provides an investigation of EU policy-making and the key EU institutions. While the focus of the study is the EU Council, the role of the Commission and its various Directorate Generals (DGs) are also analysed in depth. In the main report the authors identify key drivers for enhancing PCD in EU policy-making and outline six proposals for structural reforms and a series of short and long term recommendations for improving PCD in both the Council and the Commission. Part II of the study is a collection of 12 policy areas, one for each of the thematic areas identified in the EU Council Conclusions and six specific case-studies (on the Economic Partnership Agreements; Climate Change; the EU Code of Conduct on Arms Export; the Reform of the Sugar Regime; the Fisheries Partnership Agreements; and the EU Strategy for Action on the Crisis in Human Resources for Health in Developing Countries).
The strength of the collection of studies is the empirically nuanced account of the extent to which the EU has so far taken development concerns into account in policy areas with development dimensions. The detailed fiches and case studies provide extremely useful insights into the EU policy-making system and the complex interactions between institutions and their subordinate bodies. What is missing is a dedicated section on the EU development policy outlining overarching priorities and principles driving the EU's relations with the developing world. Despite this, the focus on the EU decision-making processes and the broad range of policies covered make the book highly recommended reading not only for practitioners and policymakers, to which it seems to be mainly addressed, but also to EU scholars.