Shaping EU development policy

Context

The European Union (EU) is a political union of sovereign states. Through its institutions, it offers significant potential to tackle global challenges. This collaborative approach is also reflected in the German Government’s coalition agreement. The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the German Government as a whole put forward various policy priorities during Germany’s presidency of the Council of the EU in 2020, which the EU is now putting into practice.

Objective

BMZ plays a role in shaping EU development policy and contributes to European solutions. German development policy priority areas are mainstreamed in EU agendas in the long term. Moreover, European ideas, approaches and priorities are incorporated into Germany’s development policy to a greater extent.

Approach

The project supports BMZ in connecting German, European and multilateral development policy agendas more closely. It works in three areas:

1. Supporting ongoing EU processes
   The project provides BMZ with technical and substantive advice on European development policy priorities, BMZ priorities of relevance to the EU and ongoing EU processes and initiatives for joint action, such as the Team Europe approach.
2. Mainstreaming thematic priorities of relevance to the EU
   The project identifies and analyses trends and issues in order to provide BMZ with strategic advice. This results in national, European and global institutions adopting and adapting development policy priorities, mainstreaming them and implementing them in the long term.
3. Fostering strategic partnerships in the EU
   The project supports the strategic positioning of BMZ in the EU through formats for dialogue and exchange as well as communication both internally within BMZ and externally. It also fosters alliances with EU institutions and with representatives from civil society, the academic and research community and the private sector. This includes, for example, seconding staff to support presidencies of the Council of the EU.

Last update: January 2023