Introduction
The objective of this guidance is to facilitate working better together in a Team Europe approach (referred to below as ‘the Team Europe approach’), in line with and in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 17 on strengthening partnership for enhanced collaboration and synergies.
The guidance is primarily directed at all actors following a Team Europe approach participating in joint programming, joint implementation or Team Europe Initiatives, namely the practitioners taking the Team Europe approach processes forward at country, regional or global level. It can also be helpful to partners in a Team Europe approach, particularly partner countries but also multilaterals, civil society, the private sector etc.
The guidance outlines good practices and provides advice on how to implement the Team Europe approach through three methods, namely joint programming (JP), joint implementation (JI) and Team Europe Initiatives (TEIs). Where relevant and agreed by the EU and the EU Member States involved these can be combined, in coordination with (European) development finance institutions ((E)DFIs) and implementing organisations.
This document updates and replaces the guidance on ‘Working Better Together as Team Europe through joint programming and joint implementation’ issued in January 2021. It further refines the Working Better Together policy approach, developing it into a Team Europe approach. The update also further clarifies the connections, synergies and complementarities between JP, TEIs and JI, as well as the linkages with the Global Gateway strategy which was designed to be implemented using a Team Europe approach. The guidance note also highlights how the Team Europe approach and each of its methods, JP, JI and TEIs align with the development effectiveness principles.
This update also responds to the recommendations from relevant Council Conclusions, notably the most recent Council Conclusions on Team Europe from November 2023. These stress that the ‘The Council is determined to improve and intensify the implementation of the Team Europe approach by connecting all three of its main methods that fall within it, namely JP, JI and TEIs, and, where relevant, a combination of all three, building upon good practices and lessons learned from the implementation of JP and TEIs. Therefore, the Council Conclusions state that that ‘update of the Working Better Together as Team Europe guidance will be a key contribution to this endeavour’.
This guidance emphasises the voluntary, flexible, and context-driven nature of the Team Europe approach. It is not a prescriptive guidance, but rather encourages colleagues working at country/regional/global level to innovate and adopt pragmatic approaches that are best suited to specific objectives, capacities, and resources in line with EU values and principles.
In the same spirit, the guidance provides examples that showcase the flexible and country-tailored nature of processes which can take very different shapes and formats, according to the context. Beyond this, options and (non-prescriptive) templates are provided throughout the guidance to simplify certain core elements of the three methods and make them as integrated, light and adaptable as possible.
The document is divided into four sections.:
- Section 1 provides an overview of the policy context, the expected benefits of working better together in a Team Europe approach and linkages between current methods and tools. It also highlights the importance of engaging with partners and stakeholders in an inclusive manner, in line with the principles of a human rights-based approach.
- Sections 2, 3 and 4 introduce and provide quick guides to the three Team Europe approach methods, namely joint programming, joint implementation and Team Europe Initiatives, by providing users with:
- a brief introduction / quick guide and clarification of linkages between the processes;
- links to relevant annexes for detailed guidance on each process, including country examples;
- a short overview of the role of headquarters and other stakeholders in the process.
- Detailed, step-by-step practical guidance for each of these three methods can be found in the annexes to the present guidance – including approval processes and examples of a Team Europe approach in action.
This guidance package, including its annexes, is modular in nature. Each section or chapter may be used separately to fulfil a specific need for guidance. This also means there may be some overlap between the different parts of the document.
If you have any questions, you may contact the relevant helpdesk or functional mailbox:
intpa-team-europe-support@ec.europa.eu