Debate on the future of Development Cooperation under the Lisbon Treaty

Brussels, 29/02/08: On 26 February, the new Development Policy Forum of Friends of Europe organised a round table meeting to discuss the question of whether EU development aid would enter a new era following the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty. Among the speakers were the Director of Eurostep, Mr Simon Stocker, and British Under-secretary of State for International Development, Mr Gareth Thomas MP.

The Secretary-General of Friends of Europe, Mr Giles Meritt, opened the round table by saying that the Lisbon Treaty had put development cooperation clearly on the agenda but that this did not indicate whether the implementation of the Treaty would bolster the role of development aid or rather make it subordinate to other foreign affairs issues.

British Minister Gareth Thomas said that the new treaty was good for development. He also said that in the reorganisation of the European Commission that would follow the ratificiation of the treaty, a single service for development cooperation should be established which would bring together the EU’s development cycle for all developing countries. Minister Thomas also added that a Commissioner for Development Cooperation should be responsible for this service.

Eurostep Director, Simon Stocker, who was invited to represent civil society, said that the NGOs fully supported the establishment of a single service. He stated that the Lisbon Treaty was unquestionably a step forward in defining development cooperation as the principle framework for developing countries. He added that peace, security and governance definitely had a role to play but emphasised that the main objective of development cooperation needed to be poverty eradication. He stressed that development must not be subordinate to security and trade policies and that humanitarian aid needed to be autonomous, impartial and neutral. Finally, he concluded that although the Lisbon Treaty increases the power of the European Parliament in many areas, the democratic accountability of the Commission remains weak.

Click here to read the report from the meeting