Environmental integration in European Commission development co-operation programming: experiences in the use of country environmental profiles

Efforts have been made to mainstream the environment in European Commission (EC) development co-operation. In programming, the main tool is the Country Environmental Profile (CEP) which informs, from an environmental point of view, the preparation of Country Strategy Papers (CSPs). Recently CEPs have improved significantly; they have different entry points in CSPs and the results of environmental integration can be found in a series of 'environmental integration outputs'. This paper describes the structure of CEPs, their place in the EC cycle of operations and how they can influence CSPs. It shows, through case studies, the impact CEPs are having on CSPs, resulting in CSPs that prepare the ground for more effective environmental integration throughout the cycle of operations.