Delegation of the European Union to Gabon, Sao Tomé-et-Principe and CEEAC

Current language: en
 

Bolivia and the EU

11/05/2016 - 14:59
EU relations with Country

Bolivia and the EU have been developing their political and economic relations in an atmosphere of extensive political dialogue and cooperation since 1995.

Political relations

Relations between Bolivia and the EU have been strengthened in recent times and have moved further forward thanks to the cooperation programme dealing with topics such as human rights, freedom of expression, conflict prevention, migration, shared responsibility in the fight against drugs trafficking, terrorism and, particularly, regional integration processes.

Relations with Bolivia are also maintained in high-level meetings, something that is reflected in the political decision to move forward together towards mutually favourable goals.

Economic relations

Economic relations between Bolivia and the EU have grown in the last few years. Europe is the most important investor in Bolivia, and the presence of the EU delegation aims to create conditions that allow the country to reap the benefits of a smooth flow of trade with Europe.

In this connection, the EU and Bolivia maintain regular contact in order to improve institutional and legal frameworks that favour commerce and foreign investment.

Commercial relations

Commercial relations between the EU and Bolivia are regulated under the Sistema de Preferencias Generalizadas Plus (General System of Preferences Plus, SPG+), which enables Bolivia to access the European market at low tariffs.

As a result, the commercial exchange between Bolivia and the EU reached €1 383 million in 2015, an increase of 6.3 % on the previous year.

Furthermore, this system provides Bolivia with the opportunity to diversify its exports, which are mainly based on primary materials, towards other products with a greater added value.

Indeed, exports from Bolivia to the EU under the SPG+ increased by 45 % between 2014 and 2013 and by 77 % between 2013 and 2012, which shows that Bolivia is using the potential that the system SPG+ offers.

These are some figures from the commercial exchange in 2015:

  • Bolivia exported goods with a total value of €645 million to the EU, up 16.9 % from the previous year.
  • Import of goods from Bolivia to the EU totalled €738 million in 2015.
  • Since 2011, exports from Bolivia to the EU have grown at an average of 16.1 % annually.
  • 75.7 % of exports from Bolivia to the EU have been primary products. Of these, 29.3 % are foods and 46.5 % are fuel and mining products;
  • From the EU, Bolivia mainly imports machinery and transport equipment (69.7 %);
  • The EU is Bolivia's fifth largest trading partner.

Technical and financial cooperation

Bolivia is the main recipient of bilateral aid from the EU for development in Latin America, with a budget of €281 million for the period 2014-2020.

The multi-annual indicative programme for this period was established on the basis of the programme Bolivia 2025, which establishes the vision of long-term development of the country, together with the member states of the EU and of other donors, establishing three priorities:

  • Judicial reform, which aims to strengthen Bolivian initiatives to ensure a justice system that is independent, transparent, appropriate and free from coercion, integrating the ordinary and indigenous justice systems. EU intervention will primarily focus on supporting a concerted strategy between all Bolivian institutions in order to reform the justice system in a way that serves the population.
  • The fight against drugs trafficking, oriented according to three pillars: a) supporting the eradication of the production and the trafficking of drugs, and enforcing the law; b) creating programs to reduce demand, including the prevention of the abuse of drugs, the rehabilitation of drug addicts and the reintegration of petty criminals into the labour force; and c) consolidating the alternative support programmes that help to reduce the extent of coca cultivations, providing new economic opportunities for the families who cultivate coca; and
  • The integrated management of water, based on: a) improving access to water and to sanitation services; b) guaranteeing the availability of safe water, taking into account climate change, deforestation and soil erosion; and c) managing nature protection areas.

The cooperation of the EU developed out of the coordinated European response established for Bolivia and within a wider context of the EU's external policies, particularly the Agenda for Change and the EU Strategic Framework for Human Rights and Democracy.

Dialogue with civil society

Together with the programme of bilateral cooperation, the EU maintains a continuing dialogue with the organisations of Bolivian civil society, which support it and are deemed to be key partners in the politics of development in democracy.

Non-state actors and local authorities actively contribute to the definition of cooperation and participation principles, thereby reinforcing their role in citizen participation and creating a leading channel to bring official help to those who need it most and who are most marginalised.

Each year, in direct alignment with national policies, the European Commission provides financial support to projects carried out by non-governmental organisations in different activity sectors and geographic areas of the national territory.

Humanitarian aid

The EU is one of the largest providers of humanitarian aid in Bolivia, through the agency Ayuda Humanitaria y Protección Civil (Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection DG, ECHO). Two types of projects are currently taking place:

  • Rapid response to the needs generated by emergencies and disasters. 
  • Improving risk preparedness and prevention capabilities and resilience towards recurring natural events.

Bolivia is currently the beneficiary of three projects:

  1. One project of FAO (€2 176 472) and another of World Vision Germany (€1 437 500) that aim to increase resilience in the Mamoré and Beni river basins with implementation in 17 municipalities.
  2. A DIPECHO project on a national scale to strengthen actions that prepare for emergencies, including local and national support. This initiative has a budget of €1 297 073.

EU Joint Programming in Bolivia

1. EU JOINT PROGRAMMING

Joint Programming is the joint planning of development cooperation by EU development partners working in a partner country. It is a policy tool contributing to a stronger Europe by bringing together resources and capacities. Now, more than ever, the European Union, the Member States and other like-minded governments need to join forces, programme their development cooperation together and, eventually, develop a strategic and coordinated response to key challenges such as migration and climate change. Working closely together will enhance the EU's ability to decisively contribute to the partner country's national development plan and to support our partners in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda.

For more information on how Joint Programming progresses in each partner country, please visit our Joint Programming group: http://capacity4dev.ec.europa.eu/joint-programming ; our website: https://jptracker.capacity4dev.eu/ ; or contact us directly here: DEVCO-Joint-Programming-Support@ec.europa.eu ; JOINT-PROGRAMMING-SUPPORT@eeas.europa.eu ; NEAR-JOINT-PROGRAMMING@ec.europa.eu

 

2. EU JOINT PROGRAMMING IN BOLIVIA

Joint Programming laid the foundations for European partners to join forces to provide a response that was well coordinated with other development partners' support to the Plurinational State of Bolivia (hereinafter Bolivia). The EU, its Member States present in Bolivia, concretely Belgium, Denmark, France, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Germany and the United Kingdom together with Switzerland as a like-minded donor, adopted the Joint European Strategy 2017-2020, which was officially signed and launched during an official ceremony on May 4, 2018 in the presence of Commissioner Mimica, the Bolivian Minister of Planning Ms M. Prado and the Bolivian Minister of Foreign Affairs F. Huanacuni. A video of the event can be seen here.

The Joint European Strategy was elaborated in cooperation with the Bolivian Ministry of Planning and Development and includes a joint analysis and response that are in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and aligned to Bolivia's Social and Economic Development Plan 2016-2020. It aims to improve coordination among the EU and Member States and to reduce fragmentation, while increasing efficiency, impact, transparency, quality and visibility of European development cooperation in Bolivia. The indicative funding of the EU and Member States in the framework of Joint Programming for the period 2017-2020 amounts to around EUR 550 Million.

The Joint European Strategy 2017-2020, serving as strategic guidance for development cooperation during this timeframe, is centred on the below-listed eight priority sectors. To achieve a clear division of labour and to allow Member States to play a significant role in the sectors of intervention they are most active in, each sector is led by one of the participating partners.

  • Integral Development with Coca and the fight against Drug Trafficking
  • Culture and Tourism
  • Rural Development and Food Security
  • Education
  • Governance – including a) Democracy and Human Rights; b) Decentralisation; c) Gender; and d) Justice
  • Environment and Climate Change – including a) Water and Sanitation; b) Forests and Biodiversity; c) Basins and irrigation; and d) Renewable Energies
  • Health
  • Economic Development and Employment

In addition to this, the Joint European Strategy includes five priority cross-cutting issues, which guarantees the incorporation of common goals in all sectors:

  • Science and Technology
  • Human Rights
  • Gender
  • Interculturality
  • Environment and Climate Change

The Joint European Strategy strongly underlines the central role of Bolivia's civil society as well as the potential of the private sector in the contribution to the country's economic and social development and to the achievement of the SDGs.

An annual monitoring exercise of Joint Programming in Bolivia is taking place. To this aim, the European Joint Strategy includes a two-level monitoring system. On the one hand, a joint monitoring mechanism based on the indicators for effectiveness is established. On the other hand, the contribution by Member States to the achievement of the goals of the Economic and Social Development Plan 2016-2020 will be monitored.

More information:

Documents

EU-Bolivia Multi Annual Programme (MIP) 2014-2016
Multiannual Indicative Programme - Bolivia 2017-2020
Languages:
Editorial Sections: