The future
role of development co-operation in the European Union:
Round table debate
Brussels
Wednesday 13 November 2002
10h00 to 13h00
Introduction
The European Union’s global role is one of the key areas of focus for the
Convention looking at the future of Europe. The Convention’s Working
Group on External Actions, that began its work in late September, will present
proposals on how the Union’s different external policy areas should be organised
in future, ensuring consistency, coherence and effective implementation.
The different areas of external policy have been established at different
times in the evolution of the Union, with competence over them being arranged
in different ways. It is inevitable that a focus on the CFSP and Defence
policies will be predominant in the work of the group, which may result in
some other aspects of external policy, such as development co-operation,
being given much less attention, and looked at within a framework determined
by the principal areas of contention.
The development dimension of the EU
The European Union’s co-operation with developing countries has been recognised
as an area for Community policy since it creation, and was enshrined in the
Rome Treaty. Subsequently programmes were arranged through inter governmental
agreements defined in the Yaoundé and Lomé Conventions.
The Treaty changes adopted in Maastricht established development co-operation
as a complementary area of competence with those of the Member States, and
was defined in a separate set of articles. These included a recognition
for the need to seek coherence in policies of the EU that affect development
partners.
With the establishment of the CFSP within the Treaty, the appointment of
the High Representative, and the introduction of the concept of consistency
in the EU’s external actions with the CFSP, the relationship between the
different external policy areas has been an issue of concern.
Aims of the debate
The Round Table will focus on the role of development co-operation, its objectives,
and its policies within External policies of the Union. It will provide
an opportunity for different actors involved with the EU’s development and
humanitarian policies/programmes to offer opinions and proposals on how the
EU’s development co-operation objectives and policies should be assured within
the EU’s legal statutes and structures.
The Round Table will also seek to provide an input into the work of the External
Actions Working Group of the Convention.
Participants
- High level representatives
from EU Member States, the Commission and European Parliament involved with
development co-operation;
- Representatives from
governments of countries seeking accession to the EU;
- Senior representatives
from civil society organisations;
- Members of the Convention,
particularly those involved in the work of the Working Group on External
Actions.
Around 40 participants are
anticipated.
Format
Initial presentations from the perspectives of different actors involved
with EU development co-operation (member states, Commission, Parliament,
civil society) followed by debate. French/English interpretation will
be facilitated.
Venue
EFTA, 74 Rue de Trèves, 1040 Brussels
For more information contact Håkon
Paulsen
© Eurostep.
Please address comments to [email protected]
