Development Policy

Climate change and development aid: The economic case for prevention

Climate change affects developing countries more heavily, with broad impacts on the environment and the economy, insurers say, highlighting the need to act before damage is done.

EU and France ramp up €1.3bn support for G5 Sahel

The EU and France ramped up their funding for the G5 Sahel anti-terror alliance to €1.3bn at a two day donor summit in Mauritania on Thursday (6 December).

Donors fail to ‘stabilise’ Sahel

The EU and the international community are ramping up their funding for the G5 Sahel counter-terror mission, but are not providing the money needed for humanitarian relief in the region, argues Jan Egeland.

Sustainable agriculture must remain key priority in post-Cotonou negotiations 

Agriculture must be at the heart of the successor to the Cotonou Agreement between the EU and the ACP community, writes Michael Hailu  

Angela Merkel’s legacy in the Middle East

German Chancellor Merkel's momentous 2015 decision to accept asylum-seekers from the region fell flat: the Chancellor did not rise to the occasion and chart a new course for both Europe and the Middle East, writes Faisal Al Yafai

A new political momentum on water diplomacy in the EU?

The conclusions agreed by EU foreign ministers on the importance of water in foreign policy are welcome but must be backed by actions, says Sophie Aujean.

EU to ‘review’ support to Tanzania over rights concerns

The European Union is reviewing its financial support to Tanzania in response to recent moves undermining "human rights and the rule of law".

Universal electricity access goal set to be missed, new report reveals

The international community is falling well short of providing the cash needed to ensure universal access to electricity by 2030, according to a report released Monday (12 November).

Mogherini: Europe and Africa can change global politics in a ‘revolutionary’ way

A new model of collaboration between the EU and Africa can change today’s dangerous turn of international relations, which have moved from “win-win” solutions and are now based on “zero-sum” games, EU's top diplomat Federica Mogherini said.

S&D chief: ‘Political suicide’ for Europe to ignore Africa

Europe has to tackle the root causes of migration and better manage population flows by investing in people rather than walls, Udo Bullmann told EURACTIV.com in an interview.

A new EU-Africa partnership

A new EU-Africa partnership is needed in order to tackle common challenges and fight for sustainable development without leaving anyone behind, according to EU Socialists and Democrats.

EU lowers its ambitions on African migration control

EU leaders asked the Commission in June to study ways to set up “regional disembarkation platforms” in North African countries, for migrants rescued by European vessels in the Mediterranean. But the demand didn't last long and the EU seems to have quietly lowered its ambitions on migration-control deals with North Africa.

Pakistan charity crackdown spreads uncertainty among aid groups

Foreign aid groups are being forced out of Pakistan, where the need for their services remains immense, in a move analysts say is fuelled by suspicions of foreign spying.

Merkel looks to Africa to cement her legacy undermined by migration crisis

German Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged on Tuesday (30 November) a new development fund to tackle unemployment in Africa, a problem spurring the mass migration that has shaped her long premiership as it nears its end.

EU is as comfortable as China with the African thugs and dictators

The EU has long frowned at China’s action in Africa for not requiring respect for human rights as a condition for aid and thus promoting a Chinese-inspired authoritarian Africa. But in recent years the EU is not better, writes Fabian Wagner.

A wind of change in the Horn of Africa will reach Europe’s shores

The "summer of love" breaking out on the Horn of Africa represents a new reality for the region – and one that will be felt in Europe, writes Faisal Al Yafai.

Migration control still trumps African ‘partnership of equals’

Less than a month after Jean-Claude Juncker’s State of the Union talked of the need for a ‘partnership of equals’ between Africa and the European Union, migration control was once again the main prism through which the EU views Africa...

EU development aid fell in 2017, reveals new report

EU aid spending fell for the first time in 5 years in 2017, according to the CONCORD AidWatch Report 2018 published on Wednesday (17 October).

EU budget must support ambitious new Africa partnership

The next seven year EU budget must be ambitious enough to support an ambitious new partnership with Africa, argue a group of senior former EU ministers.

Decentralised cooperation: building bridges for local-to-local development beyond 2020

Decentralised cooperation has been a pillar in international development for the past 10 years but stakeholders fear the new EU long-term budget might threaten the role of local authorities in the field. 

To implement the SDGs, the EU needs to be consistent

Good news for all the supporters of development policies: city-to-city development cooperation will remain at the heart of the EU’s external action. And localising the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is a priority supported by the European Union, writes Frédéric Vallier.

UK to ramp up private sector development role after Brexit, says minister

The UK will keep to its 0.7% aid spending commitment but plans to dramatically scale up its private sector investment in poor countries, its development minister Penny Mordant  said on Tuesday (9 October).

‘Europe has turned its back on Africa’, say leaders

European paranoia about Chinese dominance on the African continent was one of the underlying themes at the Financial Times’ Africa summit this week.