EU-LAC – GIGA Seminar, Hamburg, 17-18 September 2012

The EU-LAC Foundation and the GIGA (German Institute of Global and Area Studies) are organising an international seminar “New Grounds for the Relations between the EU, Latin America and the Caribbean – towards a Relevant Partnership” which is taking place in Hamburg on 17th and 18th September 2012. The countries of the European Union, Latin…

European Development Days Brussels, 16-17 October 2012

The 2012 edition of the European Development Days will take place in Brussels, Belgium on 16-17 October 2012. The draft programme overview has been online for two weeks now and the more detailed version of the programme is also available. There will be about 50 events during the seventh edition of the European Development Days,…

EC fails with earth-friendly policy

According to a group of environmentalists, the European Commission has been too slow in advancing earth-friendly policies on agriculture and energy. Ten environmental organisations argue in a scorecard of the EU executive’s performance that the Commission has been too reserved across an array of conservation issues, chemicals regulation and pollution, and in some cases has…

Social protection: a new area of action for EU development cooperation

The Directorate for Human and Society Development in DG DEVCO of the European Commission is presently preparing a communication on Social protection in EU development policy with the purpose of explaining “the role of SP in underpinning inclusive and sustainable development and the role of EU Development Cooperation in supporting the strengthening of social protection…

European Commission has launched the new aid programming cycle

With no surprise, at their Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) meeting on 14 May, the EU Member States (MS) welcomed the two communications produced by the EC aiming at reviewing and ‘modernising’ EU development cooperation policy and practice; the Agenda for Change and the Future approach on EU Budget Support. The FAC conclusions on the Agenda…

EU renewable energy targets may boost land grabbing in developing countries

The EU’s renewable energy target of 20% of its energy supply from renewable energies by 2020 will cause widespread ‘land-grabbing’ in developing countries, according to a new Action Aid report. The EU adopted the target in the ‘Renewable Energy Roadmap’ in January 2007, and has come under increasing scrutiny from civil society. http://tinyurl.com/5ucwlbv

AidWatch: Aid allocation increasingly driven by EU ‘self-interest’ – Eurostep

AidWatch: Aid allocation increasingly driven by EU ‘self-interest’ – Eurostep. The EU’s aid commitments are becoming increasingly determined by domestic political agendas as well as security, immigration and commercial interests, says a new report, launched on 19 May. According to this year’s AidWatch report, entitled “Challenging self-interests: Getting EU aid fit for the fight against…

European Report on Development: Social protection is key to poverty eradication

The second European Report on Development (ERD) was launched at the European Development Days in Brussels with the message that social protection needs to be placed at the heart of EU development policy. ‘‘A number of African countries already have social protection programmes in place. It is increasingly on the policy agenda of African leaders…

Public consultation on external relations funding

The European Commission has launched a public consultation on how the EU should fund its external relations activities, in particular the European External Action Service (EEAS). Contributions will be used by the Commission next year when preparing its proposals for the EU budget after 2013. The EU budget has been the subject of much wrangling…

Public consultation on future funding to boost EU competitiveness and innovation

The European Commission has launched a public consultation on the successor to the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme 2007-2013 (CIP). The CIP is the main EU budgetary instrument targeting competitiveness outside the research and skills areas. Its main priorities are SMEs, access to finance, innovation (including eco-innovation), take-up and use of information and communication technologies…

African trade ministers criticise EPAs

At a meeting of the Ministers of Trade of the Member States of the African Union in Kigali, Rwanda at the beginning of November, ministers published a declaration strongly criticising the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) which the EU has been trying to negotiate with countries in the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) region for several…

Weitzenegger's Publication Review

New on entries Weitzenegger’s Publication Review http://www.weitzenegger.de/en/publications.html Agricultural Diversification for the Poor – Guidelines for Practitioners. http://tinyurl.com/2vs2wx8 This World Bank study treats diversification as a differentiated form of agricultural development and recognizes its role to spur sustainable growth in the rural sector. The principle purpose of this study is to outline practical ways for implementing…

Time to deliver: Challenges of the new EU Commissioner for Development

In a challenge ahead, Europe has two main contributions to make: development policy thinking and development aid delivery. Development policy is a key part of the ”Europe 2020” vision presented by president Barroso. In particular, as we look ahead to a ”global Europe”, it is in times of development challenges that the EU can become…

Strengthening EU development cooperation under the Lisbon Treaty

The expected introduction of the European Union’s (EU) Lisbon Treaty in 2010 will fundamentally alter how EU external action is conducted. This presents both risks and opportunities for EU development cooperation. The general expectation of EU Member States’ Senior Officials is that progress in EU integration and a stronger EU profile in the world would…

New reports assess EU policy coherence for development

The European Commission published a progress report of the Policy Coherence for Development (PCD) approach launched in 2005 as part of the European Consensus on Development. The PCD review published in late September says that its framework ”allows for a systematic exploration of the effects that EU policies other than aid might have on development…

EU Development policy to focus on climate and democracy, says Mrs Carlsson

As president in office of the EU Council, the Minister for International Development Cooperation of Sweden, Gunilla Carlsson, presented to MEPs from the Committee on Development the presidency’s priorities for the second semester of 2009: development as part of the climate change agenda, democracy building as well as policy coherence and effectiveness. Helping to ensure…

EU confirmed its position as the world's leading donor in 2008

The newly published 2009 annual report on the European Community’s development and external assistance policies and their implementation in 2008 shows that the European Union continues to be the world’s leading development aid donor, accounting for 60% of world aid in 2008. The Commission alone committed EUR 12 billion, more than a fifth of the…

EU Commission report on European competitiveness

The European Commission issued its Annual Report on Competition Policy for 2008. The report provides a summary of the most important developments with regards to EU competition policy and focuses on major enforcement actions. Furthermore, the ways in which tools of competition policy have been applied to combat the financial crisis are outlined and the…

EU: Access to finance major problem for SMEs

The European Commission published the results of the new ”Flash Eurobarometer: SMEs’ access to finance”. The survey, conducted with 9071 firms in 27 EU Member States, Croatia, Iceland and Norway, was set up to assess EU companies’ use of various sources of finance, to get a picture of the magnitude of companies’ difficulties in getting…

Migration in the EU: An opportunity and a challenge

The European Union has historically attracted millions of immigrants. Most of them come legally, but there are some who do not. Immigration is both an opportunity and a challenge for Europe. Legal immigrants are needed to fill gaps in the EU labour force, as the EU’s own population grows older and its birth rate declines.…

Economic Development Publications, July 2009

CIPE Guide to Governance Reform: Strategic Planning for Emerging Markets http://tinyurl.com/lmljz9 In order for democracy to deliver value to citizens, it must be founded on good governance. Accountability, transparency, and citizen input in decision-making create the foundation for prosperous, entrepreneurial societies. Good governance is the means by which citizens of emerging markets countries devise local…

Websites of the Month, July 2009

ACP Business Climate http://bizclim.ning.com The Private Sector Enabling Environment Facility (PSEEF) is an EU funded initiative under the Cotonou Agreement. From now on, the Facility will be promoted under the ACP Business Climate facility (BizClim).On this newly established Professional Network , you can have your own page. On the main page, you find videos, pictures,…

New information on Aid for Trade from the EC

The European Commission has published a new document on Aid for Trade. This publication provides a clearer picture of this development assistance strategy. It examines the broad scope of Aid for Trade, explains the key types of Aid for Trade under the themes of ‘‘narrow” Aid for Trade (Trade Related Assistance) and ‘‘Wider” Aid for…

Priorities of the French EU presidency, security and migration on top

The French Presidency wishes to address four key priorities: energy and the climate, migration issues, agriculture and security and defence. On Development policy: – responses to be made to the rise in prices of basic products. – definition of a common positions for international meetings that makes good use of the role and experience of…

Report shows EU imports from developing countries growing

The European Commission has presented to the European Parliament its regular report on the openness of the European market to imports from developing countries. The report sets out how the EU has continued in 2007 to use its trade policy to advance a pro-development agenda and analyses the relevant data for which the most recent…