Commissioner Mimica held five think tank discussions in Member States in preparation for the proposals for a revised European Consensus on Development. Main conclusions were stressed in his closing speech in The Hague.
The events, hosted by think tanks, were designed to gather feedback from stakeholders on the future of EU development cooperation, with a specific thematic focus for each:
- Peace and security, 6 October, Warsaw (see recording(link is external))
- Migration, 14 October, Munich
- Gender equality/leave no one behind, 18 October, Dublin (see recording(link is external))
- Climate change and energy, 24 October, Paris (see recording(link is external))
- Private sector, 28 October, The Hague (see recording(link is external))
Here are some of the main take-aways from these debates:
- There was broad agreement to refocus our future development policy around the 5 "Ps" of the Preamble to the 2030 Agenda: people, planet, prosperity, peace and partnerships.
- The primary focus of our actions must be the eradication of poverty.
- However, at the same time we must recognise the increasingly complex nexus between peace, security, development and migration.
- We also need to focus on other key drivers of development notably women and young people, as well as food security, sustainable agriculture, good governance, education, the rule of law and democracy.
- We need to tailor our approaches to the needs of our different partners.
- And we need to work with a broader range of actors including civil society, local authorities, parliaments and the private sector.
- Finally, we must ensure that all of our approaches across EU internal and external policy are fully coherent and supportive of our broader development objectives.
