The New European Consensus on Development

The European Consensus on Development was adopted by the European Commission, the Council and the Parliament on the 20^th December 2005.

The document is a uniform set of values and principles for cooperation between EU institutions and the Member States. Not only does the European Consensus set the EU vision for development, but also defi nes the ways for implementation of the development policy. At the end of November 2016, the European Commission presented its proposition of a new European Consensus, which was to be aligned with the UN’s Program for Sustainable Development with its main areas being the people, the planet, prosperity, peace and partnership (European Commission 2016 a).

42

The proposal of the new European Consensus contributes to the achievement of the objectives of the EU external action (as defi ned by the Treaty of Lisbon). It is also in line with the Global Strategy of EU Foreign and Security Policy (published in June 2016), which sets a vision for European involvement in the world – the aim to build peace and prosperity (European Commission 2016). Action at the national level and sound policy are at the heart of the new European Consensus proposal, refl ecting a paradigm shift that emphasizes that the primary responsibility of every country is for its economic and social development. The proposal also discusses new global partnerships for sustainable development that would use political and fi nancial measures (European Commission 2016 a).

The European Consensus on Development is a policy statement that commits the EU to eradicating poverty and building a fairer and more stable world. Made jointly by the European Commission, Parliament and Council, the 2006 European Consensus on Development identifi es shared values, goals, principles and commitments which the Commission and EU governments will implement in their development policies. Since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by the international community at the UN Summit in September 2015, the EU is now working towards a new European Consensus on Development as a new common vision for development policy for the EU and its Member States. The Commission proposes aligning the development policy of the Union and its Member States with the 2030 Agenda (The General Assembly 2015), as it is part of the international community’s agreed response to new global trends and challenges of globalization. It suggests an ambitious, new, collective European development policy, addressing in an integrated manner the main orientations in the 2030 Agenda: people, planet, prosperity, peace, and partnership. The Commission proposes that the Consensus contributes to the objectives and values of EU external action, as agreed in the Lisbon Treaty. It supports the Global Strategy on the EU’s Foreign and Security Policy (EUGS) (Table 1) (European Commission 2017b; Council of the European Union 2016).

The Motto ‘Do more, do it better and do it differently’ (European Commission 2016) was the basis for the proposal of the new Consensus, because intensifi ed actions were supposed to lead to more systematic integration of development factors, such as gender equality, young people, renewable energy, climate change, investments, migration and mobility.

Better action is to concentrate on more coordinated activities between Member States through joint programmes and joint actions using tools such

Ewa Latoszek, Agnieszka Kłos, The European Union as a Global Partner…

43

as budget support or trust funds. The help is supposed to be measured not only from the perspective of contribution, but also from the results achieved.

Acting differently is a proposal to merge Offi cial Development Assistance with the mobilization of national resources, private sector investment and sound policies. Another aspect of ‘doing it differently’ is the proposal to introduce international partnerships between countries at different stages of development. In this way, the poorest country in the world would be able to enter innovative partnerships with middle-income countries (European Commission 2016 b).

Table 1. Examples of EU actions under the proposal of the new European Consensus for Development

Gender Equality

Taking into account the programme of EU action for gender equality 2016–2020, accepting the new Consensus, the EU and its Member States will promote women’s rights more actively in the social and economic areas. The empowerment of women and girls and their protection against violence will be a priority (European Commission 2016 b).

Hiring the Youth

By 2030, the number of young people aged 15–24 in the world will increase by 7 per cent. This will primarily be the case in developing regions. By 2035, the labour market in the sub-Saharan region will have to absorb 18 million young workers entering the market. Under the new Consensus, the EU will increase support for young people by promoting quality employment, entrepreneurship, effective education, vocational training and extending access to digital technologies and services (European Commission 2016 b).

Energy Needs

Addressing the energy needs of developing countries in an environmentally friendly way is of immense importance. Not only would it help improve living conditions (access to clean water, improved sanitation), but it would also promote inclusive growth. By adopting the new Consensus, the EU wants to address the issue of energy poverty by increasing energy investments with emphasis on renewable energy sources. In this regard, support for Africa will be linked to the activities of the energy union (European Commission 2016 b).

European Investment Plan

Investments are one of the key areas in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. The newly created European Investment Plan (EIP) was created to fi nance investments in Africa and neighboring EU countries. EIP will contribute EUR 3.35 billion derived from the EU budget and the European Development Fund (EDF). EIP is supposed to support fi nancial instruments that are to utilize EUR 44 billion. In the case of similar contributions by Member States and other partners, the total amount has a potential to reach EUR 88 million (European Commission 2016 c).

44

Mobility and Migration

Migration will become a consolidated aspect of EU foreign policy dialogue. The EU will strengthen partnerships with developing countries in line with the European Migration Program. All tools that address multidimensional aspects of migration will be used to solve issues such as forced migration, irregular migration, human traffi cking and border management (European Commission 2016 b).

New Partnerships

The EU is committed to building partnerships between the richer developing countries and the least developed countries. Despite continued presence of poverty in richer developing countries, the South-South cooperation with EU involvement will allow for sharing experience, technical assistance and knowledge (European Commission 2016 b).

Developmental cooperation between more and less developed countries is an essential element of the Sustainable Development Action Program.

Mobilization of National Funds

Public fi nance at the national level should play the central role in the inclusive development and poverty reduction efforts. The EU will support the mobilization of national resources, more effi cient use of public funds and management of public debt. In this respect, tax matters are crucial.

The EU supports tax initiative from Addis and the OECD / G20 work on erosion of the tax base and transfer of profi ts (European Commission 2016 b).

Source: European Commission. Proposal for a new European Consensus on Development Our World, our Dignity, our Future, Strasbourg, 22.11.2016 COM(2016) 740 fi nal, https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/

sites/devco/fi les/communication-proposal-new-consensus-development-20161122_en.pdf [Accesed:

28.05.2017].