Eurostat supports the European Community's development cooperation in Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) by providing advice on statistical issues to help achieve the overall development goals for each ACP country and region. Eurostat's activities assist the European Commission services that are directly concerned with development cooperation with ACP countries: DG Development and EuropeAid.
Statistical cooperation, as with other aspects of development cooperation, is governed by the Cotonou Agreement between the European Union and the ACP states. The focus of the Agreement is on poverty reduction. Statistics are useful to EU-ACP development cooperation in various ways:
- Accurate, timely, relevant statistical data can inform decisions on economic, social and environmental policies in ACP countries and can inform public accountability.
- Indicators agreed between the development partners can be used to measure progress towards agreed goals as part of macroeconomic or sector budget support programmes.
- Statistical data support the international trade, regional integration and other economic objectives of the Cotonou Agreement.
Eurostat works both on regional activities and with individual ACP countries. Regional projects on issues concerning regional integration often work in partnership with regional organisations. Activities can be undertaken either geographically or by field of statistics by providing advice on statistical issues to help achieve the overall development goals for each ACP country.
