The EU is one of the world’s foremost actors in international cooperation – and GIZ is one of its most important and reliable partners. Since the 1980s, we have been implementing EU projects in more than 120 countries – in line with the joint priorities of the EU, especially the European Commission, of the German Government and of our partner countries.
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European Union
The EU is one of GIZ’s key partners. Together, we design projects that combine European and local objectives – under the Team Europe approach, strategic and locally grounded.
How we achieve results with the EU
GIZ collaborates with the EU in a variety of ways – from pilot projects to large multi-partner initiatives. Within the framework of Team Europe, we bring together contributions from the EU, the German Government and other European partners to create effective, coordinated projects. As a specialised service provider, GIZ International Services also implements many EU-financed projects around the world.
GIZ works with the EU and the German Government across sectors worldwide: from trade and supply chains, to migration and mobility, to peacekeeping and EU enlargement. Together, we strengthen resilience, facilitate economic empowerment, and shape sustainable development in fragile contexts.
There is a particular focus on promoting German and European private sector engagement in partner countries – as part of the Global Gateway strategy, for example.
Global Gateway: Europe’s investment strategy
The Global Gateway strategy is at the heart of the EU’s international partnerships. It aims to increase the EU’s global influence through sustainable investment.
As an implementation partner, GIZ helps to ensure that these investment partnerships achieve results around the world and are mutually beneficial. German and European companies value our knowledge of local markets, our presence in partner countries and the trust that our local partners have in us. This helps us create an enabling environment for private investment in partner countries – in relation to sustainable infrastructure or market development, for example – and combine short-term objectives with long-term transformation.
GIZ as a Team Europe partner
As a key part of Team Germany, GIZ works closely with other German international cooperation stakeholders, such as the German private sector, development banks and export promotion organisations. We actively incorporate these resources into the Team Europe approach, and work closely with EU institutions, Member States and their implementing and financing organisations. The European Commission is our closest and most important partner in this context.
In the spirit of the Team Europe approach, GIZ is active in the Practitioners’ Network for European Development Cooperation, which we helped to establish. The network brings together implementing organisations from the EU Member States and creates a platform for coordinated dialogue with the European Commission, thus ensuring a coherent approach in partner countries.
What is Team Europe?
Team Europe pools expertise and resources, which are used to maximum effect. #strongertogether! Individual European Member States, including their implementing organisations and development banks, join forces as Team Europe and work together to implement Team Europe Initiatives. Civil society organisations and businesses can also participate in the Initiatives. There are now 150 Team Europe Initiatives (as at July 2025).