Division Chapter 5: Response strategyF1

This section should set out the strategic choices for EC cooperation, specifying on which area/sector assistance will concentrate. That choice should flow logically from:

• EC policy objectives,

• an analysis of the OCTs situation and its development strategy, determining the relevance and sustainability of the support strategy,

• conclusions reached in the context of any policy mix/coherence analysis exercise,

• the indicative volume of funds available,

• lessons learnt from past and ongoing EC activities,

• complementarity with assistance from other major donors and the OCTs Government’s own programmes. Community assistance should be focused in areas where it has comparative advantages or particular expertise.

This section should also contain a concise institutional capacity assessment and, where appropriate address the possible needs for institutional and capacity development actions, or, if necessary, support for actions to strengthen governance, including in the financial, tax and judicial areas wherever relevant.

Where support for programmes or projects is proposed as the financing modality, the exceptional and duly justified circumstances that would not allow assistance to be provided as budgetary support should be described. If the conditions for budgetary support are not met, a description should be provided of which measures will be carried out to ensure that the conditions for budgetary support are created.