The North-South Policy of the European Union, by Mirjam van Reisen
EU Global Player has been produced by terre des hommes – Germany, the Transnational institute, WEED and Eurostep in order to generate a broader debate on changes that are needed to achieve a fundamentally different and more coherent European North-South policy framework.
The EU is the largest economic block by any measure. Collectively it also has the greatest voting power in all the multilateral institutions. It is therefore, in a position to shape the global macro-economic and political framework for national development policies. Nevertheless, the economic and political power of the EU has not been translated into real political influence in shaping the enabling environment for sustainable social development. A reason for this is that the EU does not operate with a single voice in development. Many of the member states continue to prioritise the nationalisation of development aid.
This book examines the reasons for the lack of influence of the EU in shaping conditions conducive to development. It is argued that the EU could, and should take greater responsibility for poverty eradication by creating a macro-economic and political framework for sustainable social development.
Based on thorough analysis of the development policies and practises of the EU, and related policies, such as trade and investment, this book offers concrete proposals as to how EU north-South policies can be made more effective. It is argued that by placing the objectives of a coherent European North-South policy higher on the political agenda, and through a radical reform of the Common Agriculture Policy, CAP, more consistent policies can be achieved, which determine the overall economic framework for developing countries.
About the author, Mirjam van Reisen is a policy advisor based in Brussels, with various NGO’s and NGO networks, as well as the European Parliament. She is currently finalising a PhD thesis in Policy Studies. She was previously employed by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the University of Nijmegen (Department of Political Science). From 1988 to 1995 Mirjam van Reisen was associated as a policy advisor to NOVIB, an NGO in the Hague, as a consultant from the University of Nijmegen. She is author of annual contributions of Eurostep in the Reality of Aid (published by Earthscan in London) and Social Watch (published by Instituto Tercer Mundo in Montevideo).
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Updated on 19 May 2000
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