February 21, 2012

Simon is appointed to Andris Piebalgs’ Scientific Advisory Board

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We are delighted to announce that Simon Maxwell has been appointed a Founder Member of European Commissioner Andris Piebalgs’ Scientific Advisory Board for EU development policy.

After the publication of the Commission’s new development strategy – ‘An Agenda for Change’, the Scientific Board is another step to further modernise EU development policy.

The other members are:

  • Ha-Joon Chang (University of Cambridge)
  • Paul Collier (Oxford University)
  • Dirk Messner (German Development Institute)
  • François Bourguignon (Paris School of Economics)
  • Elizabeth Sidiropoulos (South African Institute of International Affairs)
  • Jonathan White (German Marshall Fund)
  • Lennart Wohlgemuth (Gothenburg University)
 

February 20, 2012

Meeting report: The European Commission launches its latest trade strategy

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The EU is the most open trading bloc in the world, around three quarters of EU imports from developing countries are duty free – this is a much larger share than imports to the US and China. However, Least Developed Countries (LDCs) continue to account for a low share of global trade, experiencing an increase in their share of global trade of just 0.4% (from 0.8% to 1.2%) over the last decade. In the view of recent trends, the European Commission has decided to review its traditional trade and development tools, in a bid to tailor them to those countries that are getting left behind.

On 7 February 2012, the European Commission held a public consultation meeting on its latest trade strategy – ‘Trade, Growth & Development: tailoring trade and investment policy for those countries most in need’, which was released at the end of January.

ODI’s Jodie Keane reports back in this meeting report.

 

February 17, 2012

The European Commission’s legislative proposals for financing EU Development Cooperation

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In December, the European Commission unveiled its package of legislative proposals on the EU’s external action instruments for the period 2014-20 as part of the negotiations on the Multi-Annual Financial Framework (MFF), the EU’s spending review. Mikaela Gavas has written an ODI Background Note analysing the changes introduced by the instruments of direct relevance to international development.

 

February 14, 2012

Simon and Siân give evidence to the IDC inquiry on EU development assistance

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The International Development Committee recently called Simon Maxwell and Siân Herbert to give oral evidence at a session for the inquiry into EU development assistance.

The session covered a vast array of issues including:

  • The EU’s new development strategy – An Agenda for Change;
  •  The comparative advantages of the EC, compared to both bilateral and multiateral donors;
  •  The differences between the EU’s central development instruments, and the European Development Fund (EDF);
  • How the EU should deal with middle-incomes countries;
  • Administration costs – looking at the tricky task of comparing DFID to the European Commission’s development projects; and
  • Policy coherence for development.

Click here for a transcript of the session.

 

February 10, 2012

The EU’s policy on differentiation: Tackling poverty and global challenges?

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On 2 February, Siân Herbert gave a presentation at a workshop in Copenhagen, discussing the EU’s new policy on ‘differentiation’ (‘Differentiation’ means reassessing aid to middle income countries). The workshop was hosted by Concord Denmark, the Danish NGO platform for EU development work, and attended by a variety of Danish NGOs.

The objective of the workshop was to define a common position on differentiation. The NGOs present were open to the changes proposed by the European Commission, and support revaluating aid to MICs. At the end of the workshop, the decision was taken that Concord Denmark will not engage with the debate regarding the proposed criteria for aid allocation, but will instead focus on where the funds should be redirected. Concord advised that they are engaged in discussions with the European Commission, ahead of the release of a communication on CSOs later this year.

The EU’s policy on differentiation has also been discussed recently by Andy Sumner, Andris Piebalgs and Simon Maxwell.

Siân’s presentation is available here.

 

February 5, 2012

EDCSP visit the European Parliament

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Simon Maxwell and Mikaela Gavas recently spent two days at the European Parliament, meeting MEPs and Committee Secretariat staff. Their objectives were (a) to understand better how the EP works, (b) to map who is doing what on the current EU agenda, especially the Multi-Annual Financial Framework, (c) to exchange views on the MFF, and (d) to explore the potential for a European Think-Tanks Group initiative linking the EP and national parliaments.

Read more in this trip report.

 

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