The EU approach to aid effectiveness
The European Commission has proposed a number of policy documents and actions to improve aid effectiveness at the European level which have been agreed by the 27 member states of the European Union (EU). The European Commission federates and promotes a coordinated European approach to aid effectiveness. This coordination role is led by the Directorate General for Development with active involvement of EuropeAid.
Coordinating and promoting aid effectiveness
EU member states and the European Commission agreed several initiatives to improve effectiveness of their respective aid programmes.
• In December 2005, the European Consensus on Development confirmed four more ambitious EU targets related to: use of country systems; capacity building; project implementation units; and coordinated missions.
• In 2006 this was followed with a set of Communications for scaling up European Union aid according to the Monterrey Consensus 
and increasing its effectiveness and impact through More, Better, Faster Aid.
• In May 2007, the European Council approved an EU Code of Conduct on Complementarity and Division of Labour in Development Policy. The code emphasises the lead role of partner countries in taking forward division of labour among donors in their respective countries.
• In 2008 Mr Louis Michel, at that time EU Commissioner for Development, launched an initiative to fast track division of labour. In each country one of the EU member states or the European Commission volunteered to act as lead and supporting facilitators at country level to promote the fast tracking.
• In 2009 the EU, under the Swedish presidency, approved an operational framework for implementing the commitments agreed in Accra.
• A study completed in March 2011 [3 MB] outlines ways and options how the EU institutions and Member States may move towards enhanced coordination and improved impact through "Joint Multi-annual Programming".