FantasticSearch

1. Strategy papers are documents drawn up by the Union and the partner country or region concerned to provide a coherent policy framework for development cooperation, consistent with the overall purpose and scope, objectives and general principles of the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement, and in line with the principles established in Articles 2, 8 and 12a of Annex IV to that Agreement. The preparation and implementation of strategy papers shall comply with the principles of aid effectiveness: national ownership, partnership, coordination, harmonisation, alignment with recipient country or regional systems, transparency, mutual accountability and results orientation as laid down in Article 2 of this Regulation. The programming period must become, in principle, synchronised with partner country strategy cycles.

2. With the consent of the partner country or region concerned, no strategy paper will be required for:

(a) countries or regions having a development strategy in the form of a development plan or a similar development document accepted by the Commission as a basis for the corresponding multiannual indicative programme, when adopting the latter document;

(b) countries or regions for which a joint multiannual programming document between the Union and Member States has been agreed;

(c) countries or regions where a Joint Framework Document (JFD) already exists that provides a comprehensive Union approach to the relations with that partner country or region, including Union development policy;

(d) regions having a jointly agreed strategy with the Union;

(e) countries where the Union intends to synchronise its strategy with a new national cycle starting before 1 January 2017; in such cases, the multiannual indicative programme for the interim period between 2014 and the beginning of the new national cycle will contain the Union's response for that country.

3. Strategy papers shall not be required for the countries or regions receiving an initial allocation of Union funds under this Regulation not exceeding EUR 50 million for the 2014-2020 period. In such cases, the multiannual indicative programmes will contain the Union's response for those countries or regions. If the options referred to in paragraphs 2 and 3 are not acceptable for the partner country or region, a strategy paper shall be prepared.

4. Except in the circumstances referred to in Article 4(3), multiannual indicative programmes shall be based on a dialogue with the partner country or region and be drawn up on the basis of the strategy papers or similar documents referred to in this Article, and will be the subject of an agreement with the country or region concerned. For the purpose of this Regulation, the joint multiannual programming document provided for in point (b) of paragraph 2 of this Article and complying with the principles and conditions established in this paragraph, including an indicative allocation of funds, may in accordance with the procedure set out in Article 14 be considered as the multiannual indicative programme in agreement with the partner country or region.

5. Multiannual indicative programmes shall set out the priority sectors selected for Union financing, the specific objectives, the expected results, the performance indicators and the indicative financial allocation, both overall and per priority area. They will also explain how the proposed programmes will contribute to the overall country strategy referred to in this Article and how they will contribute to delivery of the Agenda for Change. In accordance with aid effectiveness principles, the intra-ACP strategy shall avoid fragmentation, and ensure complementarity and real value added with the country and regional programmes.

6. In addition to programming documents for countries and regions, an intra-ACP strategy paper and related multiannual indicative programme shall be prepared jointly by the Commission and the ACP through the ACP secretariat, in line with the principles established in Articles 12 to 14 of Annex IV to the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement.

7. The specific provisions referred to in Article 4(3) may take the form of special support programmes, taking into account the special considerations referred to in Article 6(1).