Fourteen international humanitarian organisations are urging the European Commission to rethink its proposed shift to a transactional approach in development cooperation, as seen in a recently leaked draft Briefing Book from the European Commission’s Directorate General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA). This Briefing Book will set the direction for EU development in the next EU mandate.
The leaked draft focuses almost entirely on the EU’s Global Gateway Strategy, confirming fears that the EU’s revised strategy for global cooperation will prioritise its own geopolitical and economic interests. This shift relies heavily on the private sector, moving away from commitments to locally led development and abandoning transformative and people-centred models.
Commenting on the draft of the EC briefing on the future of EU development cooperation, Floris Faber, Head of Office at ACT Alliance EU, warned that “The EU must ensure its actions are in harmony with the values and fundamental objectives of poverty eradication and sustainable development. The Rights Based Approach and the principle of ‘Leave No One Behind’ is central to our common ethos and must remain at the heart of EU development policies”.
Read the full letter here.
