In 2009, the Czech Republic actively participated in strategic and implementation decisions concerning the implementation of EU development assistance. In the first half of 2009, when the Czech Republic presided over the EU Council, it set priorities for EU development policy, which were successfully fulfilled.

In response to the global financial and economic crisis, measures to support developing countries were approved during the Czech Presidency. The work of the Czech Presidency in the priority theme "Access to Sustainable Energy Sources at the Local Level" culminated in the adoption of Council conclusions stressing the need to use sustainable and renewable energy as an essential prerequisite to starting up economies and reducing poverty in developing countries. The Czech Presidency also paid particular attention to good or democratic governance. Furthermore, EU Development Ministers adopted Council conclusions pertinent to the topic. Beyond the priorities defined during the Czech EU Presidency, it was possible to reflect development policy in major areas of Transatlantic Cooperation with the new US administration and to pave the way for further negotiations.

The Czech Republic mediated an agreement between the Member States on the European Commission's mandate for a second revision to the Cotonou Agreement, which governs relations between the European Union and Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific. Several interim economic partnership agreements with Central Africa and several Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries were signed during the Czech presidency.

The subsequent Swedish EU Presidency focused on the coherence of policies for the development and effectiveness of development aid provided by the European Union and the Member States. In November 2009, the EU Council adopted conclusions on the Operational Framework of Aid Effectiveness dealing with the division of labour among donors in individual developing countries, coordination of their activities and stressing ownership of the development process by the partner countries. Due to the climate summit in Copenhagen, the influence of climate change on developing countries was an important issue in the second half of 2009.