Abstract

The Treaty of Lisbon introduces some amendments to the provisions on development cooperation policy, redefining, in particular, the objectives of this policy. In this judgment the EU Court of Justice has the opportunity to rule on development cooperation in the post-Lisbon context. It states that development cooperation with third countries takes the form of cooperation and partnership that is comprehensive in nature and that cannot be reduced to the traditional objectives of 'development cooperation' alone. Development cooperation is defined so broadly that it becomes more difficult to show that, alongside the large number of sectors it can encompass, there remains an objective or there is more than one objective both distinct from those pursued by the development cooperation. The consequence is that development cooperation, as now defined by the EU Court, is a multi-facetted policy.