USAID is proud to partner with the countries of Europe and Eurasia.
The region as a whole has undergone a historic transformation in the short time. Young countries have overcome tremendous social, political, and economic hurdles to chart a new course for their citizens, guided by free markets and democratic principles.
USAID continues to address those challenges that prevent countries of the region from charting their course toward greater Euro-Atlantic integration. Some of these challenges include pervasive corruption, political stagnation, significant poverty and undeveloped policy and regulatory environments that hold the region back. As a region of increasing economic importance, our development assistance helps support American trade and investment. And as home to several NATO allies, our development ties strengthen critical national security bonds.
Our Partnership:
Throughout the region we are working toward ending the need for foreign assistance. USAID tailors its approach to each country’s unique challenges and opportunities by helping our partner countries identify their own development challenges and working with them to meet these challenges. We will continue to help move the countries of the region move forward on their chosen development paths toward democracy, prosperity, security and Euro-Atlantic integration through programs focused on:
- Democracy and Governance: USAID’s democracy programming advances democratic reform and transparent, responsive governance through assistance to and capacity building for civil society, independent media, political party development, decentralization and local self-government, rule of law and human rights, and support for free and fair electoral processes.
- Economic Development: USAID is helping to transform countries from centrally planned to market-oriented economies by fostering small and medium businesses, promoting sound business environments that encourage international and domestic investment, establishing public financial systems, encouraging entrepreneurship, and promoting entrepreneurship and workforce development.
- Energy: USAID helps to build competent regulatory authorities and market-based energy systems across the region, by breaking up state-monopolies, facilitating billions of dollars in infrastructure investment, and increasing energy security through diversification of energy sources and interconnection of energy markets.
- Health: USAID implements targeted programs in Ukraine to combat HIV/AIDS and bilateral and regional programs targeting multi-drug resistant tuberculosis as well as broader efforts to strengthen governance and combat corruption in the health sector.
- Youth, Education, and Vulnerable Populations: USAID supports targeted education sector reforms that introduce education standards and strengthen local capacity throughout the region. E&E has also been a leader
on programming for vulnerable populations.
Transformational Impact in the Region
The collapse of communism in Europe ushered in a tremendous political and economic transition across what became more than two dozen new and newly liberated countries. Responding to this historic opportunity and the unique development context, USAID assistance helped create the conditions for market economies and democratic governance across the region.
The impact of this assistance cannot be overstated. From 24 original partner countries, 11 countries of the region are no longer foreign assistance beneficiaries, 22 have joined the World Trade Organization, 11 have acceded to the EU, and 12 have joined NATO.
Many former recipients of development assistance are now providing their own economic assistance in the region, and several partner with USAID as joint donors in other countries. As development peers, these countries contributed over $1.4 billion to development assistance in 2014, up from less than $200 million in 2002. With stronger economies, USAID transition countries increased their U.S. imports from only $2 billion in 1995 to more than $10 billion annually in 2015.