OLD - Guidelines Nr. 1: Guidelines on the Programming, Design and Management of General Budget Support

This guide has been prepared in 2007 by the Macroeconomic Support Unit of the EuropeAid Cooperation Office, in close collaboration with DG DEV and DG RELEX. It has drawn upon consultations with EC staff in Delegations and Headquarters and has benefited from the many discussions and contributions received.

A NEW VERSION OF THESES GUIDELINES ARE IN PREPARATION AND WILL BE AVAILABLE BY THE END OF 2012.

The purpose of these Guidelines is to contribute to improving the quality of EC Budget Support programmes by providing guidance to those who prepare and implement these programmes. They aim to promote consistency and clarity of approach, while allowing for the operational flexibility required in the face of dynamic and diverse situations. To achieve this purpose, these guidelines provide information and guidance on:

• The rationale and definitions for using budget support as a financing modality (Chapter 2)
• The importance of eligibility criteria for budget support programme throughout all the stages of the cycle of operations from programming through to implementation (Chapter 3)
• How the programming, identification, formulation, implementation and evaluation of General Budget Support (GBS) is carried out (Chapters 4-8)
• How the procedures of the European Commission are used in the preparation and implementation of GBS operations (Chapter 9) (Although providing some guidance on procedural matters, this guide does not describe in detail the financial procedures and circuits, which are addressed separately in other official EC documents dealing with Financial Regulations of the Community budget and the European Development Fund.3)
• Annexes provide supporting guidance in three areas (i) further guidance on thematic topics; (ii) model terms of reference; (iii) procedures and budget support, including templates used during programme preparation and implementation.