closely with the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General and the NATO Senior Civilian Representative as well as with the Afghan authorities and the International Community representatives in Kabul. Close coordination with all Member States also allows the EU in Afghanistan to be particularly coherent and efficient. I also work closely with my colleagues from Russia, India, China, Turkey, Australia and Japan and others who are involved in support and reconstruction of Afghanistan.

The European Union is committed for the long haul. In November 2011, the EU and Member States' Foreign Ministers agreed that they would seek to continue their support for Afghanistan at least at current levels well into the «decade of transformation», from 2014 to 2024.

That commitment will be embodied in the Cooperation Agreement on Partnership and Development (CAPD) between Afghanistan and the EU, which will soon be finalised. The agreement will provide the framework for our political and economic cooperation over the next decade, including in the areas of development, trade, governance, justice and human rights and women's rights. The strategic objectives pursued by the EU in its partnership with Afghanistan are to strengthen dialogue and cooperation with a view to supporting peace and security in Afghanistan and the region. This is of the upmost importance for Afghanistan, its neighbours and for the rest of the world. Among other priorities, the EU promotes sustainable development, a stable and democratic political environment and the integration of Afghanistan into the world economy. A particular emphasis is also made on establishing a regular dialogue on political issues, including the promotion of human rights and gender equality and the involvement of civil society.

The EU will pursue these strategic objectives through a variety of instruments, including the Development Cooperation Instrument and the Instrument for Stability. However, in a highly aid-dependent environment, characterised by sometimes uncoordinated interventions, often outside of government structures, aid delivery poses significant challenges. As donor funding levels decline, sustainable private sector investment will need to increase to improve stability through jobs and increased revenue. In order to maximise the impact of aid in this highly complex environment, the government has put forward an Aid Management Policy. The main objectives of this policy are to improve the effectiveness of development cooperation through greater government ownership and leadership and to strengthen economic management by increasing flows of development assistance through the budget. So-called 'Afghanization' will be key to an increased sovereignty and responsibility over the country's stakes.

Following the July 2010 Kabul Conference, the government of Afghanistan decided to enhance the coherence of its policy action and create instruments to further facilitate the International Community's alignment with its priorities. As a result, ministries with responsibilities in homogeneous policy areas were clustered and cluster leaders were asked to develop 22 National Priority Programmes (NPPs).

NPPs will serve as instruments for the implementation of the sector development strategies in areas such as governance, basic service delivery, agriculture and rural development and infrastructure. In the run up to the Tokyo conference intense consultations with donors have paved the way for the endorsement of 16 NPPs to date, which should now enter the implementation phase. Two NPPs, of core importance for the EU development assistance portfolio, still require significant work and are expected to be finalised in the course of 2013.