This contribution is one of the components of the Project ““La Cooperación al Desarrollo en Educación: Del Enfoque de Proyectos al Apoyo Presupuestario Sectorial. Estudio de casos comparado AECI-Unión Europea en Paraguay”. This project is being prepared for its presentation at the for call for proposals from Ayudas a la Investigacion de la Fundacion Carolina, and has been admitted for evaluation at the Ministerio de Educacion del Paraguay’s CIIE (Centro de Investigacion e Innovacion Educativa) for co-financiation. 

In a globalization context, educational agendas tend to converge. Agencies and international and supra-national organisms assume responsabilities for the development of common goals and objectives in developing countries. There are, however, different methods and mechanisms for help and cooperation. With respect to this, within its borders the European Union has always pursued consensus rather than imposition. Outside its borders, as a cooperation organism, it tries to establish relationships with “partners” rather than “beneficiaries”.

One of the initiatives regarding this is that of the “Budget Support” model, innovative in overcoming the traditional “Project Focus” method, distinguishing itself for being not only  an alternative to traditional methods of cooperation, but also for its contraposition to the help policies of other European agencies.

The Budget Support model implies a number of risks, and this requires ensuring some pre-determined conditions are present in countries where such an option is to be implemented. The European Union places Paraguay in a context of low fiscal income and lack of a solid social structure.

La Unión Europea es el principal donante del Sector Educativo Paraguayo. Durante el periodo 2007-2010, la Educación ha sido considerada un sector prioritario, asignándose 54 millones de euros, lo que supuso la utilización del 85% de los fondos totales previstos para tal periodo. En el periodo 2011-2013, se mantiene la prioridad hacia el sector, asignándose una dotación de 35 millones de euros que suponen el 55% de los fondos totales para el periodo (EU, 2010) .

The investigation explores the background, foundations and notions of development implicit in the Budget Support model, and describes obstacles and opportunities for attaining its goals from the perspective of donors, managers and experts.

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