This and other quantitative and qualitative changes made under the Act make it possible to speak of a before and after in Catalan development cooperation policy; indeed, the Act’s implementation and application have led to a turning point in how Catalan international cooperation works. In this sense, it is worth noting the Act’s contribution to the creation of a Catalan model of international cooperation that bears the mark of Catalan civil society, its true driving force. Accordingly, the Act begins by acknowledging past experience and adhering to the principle of collaboration and complementarity between public authorities and the solidarity initiatives of Catalonia’s rich associational fabric.

Among the qualitative measures, attention should be called to those relating to the introduction, in a legal provision, of a series of values, aims, priorities and guiding principles intended to bring the Act closer to its beneficiaries. To this end, it establishes as its aim the promotion of the economic development and social welfare of the inhabitants of recipient countries so that they themselves can play the leading role in their own development.

Perhaps one of the Act’s most important contributions was the establishment of a strategic planning framework to optimise the performance of Catalan international cooperation policy to the benefit of its target beneficiaries.