Clare Lockhart gives clear advice in her article: Europe should radically overhaul its development and humanitarian policies. "In the name of delivering a peace dividend, reducing poverty and protecting humanitarian space, Europe's aid system pours hundreds of millions of euros into setting-up parallel systems to the governments". She argues that the EU should instead privilege the establishment of effective administrative and political systems in what are almost always fragile states.

 

Lockhart is right, capacity building is the name of the game. But that is nothing new because it is exactly what the European Union has been doing for the last couple of years. Capacity building, good governance and ownership have become essential elements of the European aid effort. Her advice comes at the very moment that the EU Development Council has adopted conclusions on aid effectiveness, based on three Commission policy papers – "EU Aid: Delivering more, better, faster"; "The Challenges of scaling up EU aid 2006-2010" and "Increasing the Impact of EU Aid". These Communications and Conclusions aim at translating into operational terms the commitment made by the Council when adopting the "European Consensus" on EU development policy in November of last year, which was "to increase the use of budget support as a means to strengthen ownership, support national accountability and procedures and promote sound and transparent management".

 

Development policy is designed to make a positive contribution to capacity building and good governance, which humanitarian aid cannot do. If it is to respect the principles of neutrality, independence and impartiality, humanitarian assistance cannot operate through official state structures. It can only try to avoid having a negative impact on the structures and administrative capacity of recipient states. Humanitarians have adopted principles and practices of "Good Humanitarian Donorship" precisely to deal more effectively with issues like needs assessment, funding strategies, capacity building and the role and participation of public authorities.

 

But it is not enough to do good. One should do things well, and that is what humanitarian actors themselves want. They rightly stress that humanitarian work should be undertaken by professionals in accordance with professional standards – not by young volunteers, as was proposed, in the draft EU constitutional treaty.

 

To reinforce the global humanitarian response, the UN has recently taken initiatives like the so-called cluster approach, the upgraded Central Emergency Response Fund and the stronger role of humanitarian coordinators which all aim at strengthening the effectiveness of aid and enhancing its impact. This is not the creation of parallel structures that undermine the autonomy and legitimacy of recipient state structures, but rather co-operation, co-ordination and complementarity.

 

Lockhart links her remarks on Europe's aid to two scenarios about the role of Europe in the world: "Fortress Europe" and "Collaborative Europe". These scenarios look rather like what sociologists call "ideal types" or theoretical constructs. The reality, however, is much more complicated. Her remarks might have been different if she had taken another scenario, such as "Soft Power Europe". Soft power is the EU's ability to get others to follow by virtue of attraction and conviction rather than force or coercion.

 

This has been true not only for EU candidate member states undertaking radical transformation of their structures and institutions in response to the lure of membership, but also for developing countries negotiating partnership agreements and development co-operation strategies. This concept is at the very heart of the EU's Africa Strategy built on strategic partnerships and based on international law and human rights, equality and mutual accountability. Its underlying philosophy is African ownership and responsibility, including working through African institutions. No parallel structures, but sustainable development, good and effective governance and social cohesion.

 

Clare Lockhart makes a valid point, and the EU is already heeding her advice by overhauling its aid policy and moving slowly but surely in the right direction.