2004/05 is of key importance to the institutional architecture of European development cooperation, seeing as it does the appointment of a new Commission and the resolution of the Financial Perspectives for 2007–13. ‘Budgetisation’ of the European Development Fund looks likely, incorporating what has hitherto been a separate development fund into the main EU budget; this would give the European Parliament a greater voice but could reduce the share of aid going to the poorest countries if funds are not ring-fenced. The eventual approval of a new constitution and the appointment of a European foreign minister will also have an impact on the institutional architecture.

This paper focuses on the institutional architecture of European Development Cooperation, the changes it has undergone and the future it may have.

Sven Grimm