Cellule d’Opération de l’Union Européenne (1994-2001)

Overview and activities

Interventions throughout the country of Cellule d'Opération de l'Union Européenne 1994-2001 &th EDF

Pioneering Vision, Agile Strategy, and High-Impact Results

1- Introduction

In 1995, the Delegation of the European Commission to Madagascar, as part of the 7th EDF, launched the Microrealizations Program with a truly pioneering vision. Instead of repeating traditional, centralized, and hierarchical models, the European Union and the National Authorizing Officer created the Cellule d'Opération de l'Union Européenne — an agile, lightweight, and matrix-structured entity designed to accelerate action, empower beneficiaries, and maximize impact. Unlike previous structures, which were highly divisional and attached to the Presidency, this Cellule d'Opération functioned as a modern executing agency, directly connected to field needs. Its mission: to rapidly deploy micro-projects with high social and economic value, ensuring full ownership by beneficiary communities—a central tenet of its operational philosophy.
The founding objectives reflected this innovative approach:

Stimulate local development dynamics led and managed by the communities themselves.
Sustainably improve living conditions by diversifying means of production.
Deliver rapid, concrete, and visible results to address everyday challenges.

This proximity-focused strategy, emphasizing direct and measurable impact, transformed the Cellule d'Opération into a forward-thinking laboratory whose successes inspired subsequent programs.

2- Structure: Agile, Matrix-Based, and Empowering Organization

The Cellule d'Opération adopted a unique and highly effective joint governance model:

Shared leadership between an expatriate Technical Assistant and a National Counterpart.
Multidisciplinary teams mobilized through a matrix logic.
Short decision circuits enabling swift implementation.

Each program was entrusted to a Coordinator, supported by Project Managers, accountants, technicians, and logistics staff. This intentionally compact organization provided exceptional operational flexibility, facilitating frequent travel across challenging terrains. Based in Antananarivo, the Cellule d'Opération covered the entire national territory, with a clear commitment: no privileged zones, no exclusions.

3- Activities: Continuous Adaptation and Innovation

The rapid success of the first Microrealizations Program (Lomé IV, 7th EDF)—with a success rate above 95% and operating costs below 5% on a €1.9M budget—validated the agile model. Building on this efficiency, the responsibilities of the Cellule d'Opération quickly expanded to include:

A Decentralized Cooperation Program,
A Microrealizations Program for Social Housing,
A program to open up isolated production areas,
A third Microrealizations Program to absorb the influx of eligible projects,
Two support programs for the Ministry of Health.

Each new program was born from lessons learned, identified needs, and accumulated experience. This incremental and adaptive approach anticipated modern agile project management methods. As performance grew, national institutions such as the Ministry of Health and the House of Tourism sought the support of the Cellule d'Opération for their own rehabilitation and development initiatives. The team grew from 3 to 19 people, reflecting a controlled scaling aligned with operational needs.

4- A Model That Shaped Future Programs

By operating nationwide, without preferential zones, and aligning with national economic policies, the Cellule d'Opération demonstrated that an agile, empowering, and beneficiary-centered structure could deliver measurable, sustainable, and replicable results. Its vision, strategy, and achievements became the conceptual and operational foundation for future European Union programs in Madagascar, making this experience a true precursor to modern participatory development and results-based project management approaches.

5- Operations management

The Cellule d'Opération intervened throughout the country to help the beneficiaries prepare and implement their projects. It provided all the support these communities needed to:

Identify their real needs and determine the most appropriate solution to their problems
Help design and prepare projects
Strengthen their organizational capacity to ensure maximum efficiency in implementation and ownership of results.

The Cellule d'Opération:

Ensured screening, selected, and evaluated projects submitted by beneficiary communities according to the program's eligibility criteria.
Evaluated the viability of the projects and the organizational capacity of the beneficiaries
ensured that the project needs are consistent with government sector policies
Organized training for beneficiary representatives, as needed
Supervised and assisted beneficiary communities in the preparation and implementation of projects; the Cellule d'Opération could also provided technical recommendations for a project, and its technical staff could be used free of charge as needed e.g. Improvement of plans and architecture
Monitored and supervised the implementation
Did post-project viability reviews

Interventions mainly concerned small-scale development projects in rural and urban areas.

Sectors of activity included but were not limited to:

Social infrastructure: health, education (rehabilitation, extension, construction of schools and health centers), housing (social reintegration of the homeless)
Agriculture: irrigated perimeters, small hydro-agricultural systems)
Water supply: wells, water transport
Other sectors (economic infrastructure)

The unit also cooperated with other organizations operating in the field, e.g. Relance du Sud du FED (Fort Dauphin-Tsihombe), the Association française des volontaires du progrès AFVP (Antananarivo, Vohipeno). It also worked with other organizations to implement their Programmes, as was the case with the Ministry of Health and the Maison du Tourisme.

6- Project management

Before approving funding, the unit will ensure that the beneficiaries have established a management structure that ensures transparency at all levels and for each member of the direct beneficiary association. A bank account should be opened for the exclusive use of the project.

The Cellule d'Opération submits a short list of projects selected for funding for approval by the National Authorizing Officer and the European Union Delegation.

For each project approved for funding:

An agreement is signed between the Cellule d'Opération and the beneficiaries. This document specifies, among other things, the amount allocated by the EDF program, the participation to which the beneficiaries have committed themselves, the conditions for the management of the allocated funds and of the worksite, the approved specifications and plans, and any other relevant details.
The funds are released in progressive installments paid directly into a bank account opened for the exclusive use of the project and under the full responsibility of the project beneficiaries.
A check corresponding to an advance will be issued to the beneficiaries, who will deposit it in the account opened for the exclusive use of the project.
The granting of the next installment is subject to: the actual progress of the work observed on site, the validation of the quality of the work carried out and the verification of the quantities of materials used, the verification of the proof of expenses.
At the end of the work, a technical acceptance ceremony is held jointly by the unit, the EDF National Authorizing Officer and the European Commission Delegation.

7- Financial resources management

These are the budgets of the current Programmes.

The Cellule has imprest accounts called "Caisse d'Avances" opened with the Ministry of the EDF National Authorizing Officer (Ministry of Finance) to finance its activities and operations for each Programme it manages.

Each imprest account has its own bank account, opened in the name of the corresponding Programme, into which the initial endowment and various replenishments are transferred.

An Imprest Account operates as follows:

An initial allocation is transferred to the bank account for the exclusive use of the Programme on the basis of a payment order from the National Authorizing Officer approved for financing by the Head of Delegation of the European Commission.
The respective Programme budgets are paid in instalments to the respective Programme imprest accounts. The use of budget tranches shall be justified to the EDF National Authorizing Officer and the E.C. Delegation at the time of replenishment.
Replenishment of the imprest account is carried out by transfers from the Central Bank on payment orders from the National Authorizing Officer approved by the E.C. Delegation.
The imprest account is managed by an Administrator and an Accountant, both appointed by Ministerial Order.