MEPs set priorities for a new impetus in #development

MEPs voted on a recent informal deal with ministers, revising the 2005 European Consensus on Development, a joint policy statement setting out the EU’s values and objectives.

Results of the agreement, inter alia:

• Poverty eradication will remain a number one priority and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will be swiftly translated into EU policy;
• the EU and member states reiterate their commitment to spend 0.7% of GDP on development;
• further co-operation with the private sector stays in line with social, environmental and human rights standards;
• there will be more democratic oversight of financial tools which tackle the root causes of migration, and;
• a strict monitoring of the implementation is foreseen, including a mid-term assessment by 2024.

The deal was backed by 405 votes to 70, with 159 abstentions.

Co-rapporteur Bogdan Wenta (EPP, Poland) said: “During the negotiations, the Parliament successfully pushed for a strong emphasis on development effectiveness, policy coherence and good governance and also strengthened the principle of democratic ownership in the text. I believe that the New Consensus will prove to be an effective tool in fighting poverty and will enhance our cooperation with partner countries.”

Co-rapporteur Norbert Neuser (S&D, DE) said: “It is an achievement that even in such turbulent times, eradicating poverty and tackling its root causes remain at the heart of the EU’s development efforts. Granting better oversight to the Parliament on financial instruments brings more democratic control and ensures that help always goes to the poorest.”

The reform of the EU’s development policy is linked to new global challenges and to the adoption of the 2030 Agenda at the UN Summit in 2015. While the number of people living in absolute poverty has fallen by 600 million since 1990, less progress has been made in other areas, such as reducing the number of deaths of mothers and babies during childbirth and providing access to clean drinking water. Over half of global development aid comes from the EU and its members, making them collectively the world's largest aid donor.