Jean Van Wetter’s Post

In a world that moves full speed towards isolationism and polarisation, staying engaged becomes an act of courage. Why the EU should stay engaged in fragile contexts. A joint statement from our director and the chair of the management board of GIZ. #fragile contexts #european commission

📅 With this week marking the first plenary session of the new European Parliament and the election of Ursula von der Leyen as the next European Commission President, Jean Van Wetter, CEO of the Belgian development agency Enabel, and Thorsten Schäfer-Gümbel, Chair of the Management Board of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, have jointly published an article in POLITICO on why the EU needs to stay engaged in fragile contexts.   Read here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eSt5jam4   🤲 As #peace, #poverty, #stability, and #resilience are interconnected and should be dealt with in a comprehensive way, the article underlines how it is both in line with European values and interests to contribute to stabilising and addressing the drivers of social, economic and ecological crises and protracted violent conflicts worldwide. In this context “international development organizations work on a wide range of topics, including those that will be at the heart of EU policy discussions, such as #migration, #security, #energy and #environmentaltransition. Trying to achieve results on migration or security, for example, without addressing the dimensions and drivers of fragility, will not work. Worse, it would be counterproductive.” They close by stressing the central importance of EU decision-makers continuing to pay due political attention to this issue in the mandate to come.     🔗 Having both acquired considerable expertise in working in fragile contexts while also addressing drivers of fragility, GIZ and Enabel will continue to closely work together in the framework of the Practitioners' Network for European Development Cooperation. As #TeamEurope, we must acknowledge that “sustainable peace needs international cooperation and it needs Europe’s attention today”.     Read the full article below 👇 https://lnkd.in/dF7Ygu56 #InternationalCooperation #TeamEurope #Fragility #Sustainability #EuropeanParliament #EuropeanCommission #UvL Dr Friedrich Stift, Juha Savolainen, Michal Minčev, Manuel Tonnar, Francisco TIERRASECA GALDÓN, Tobias Jung Altrogge, Marco Riccardo Rusconi, Jeremie Pellet, AGENCIA ESPAÑOLA DE COOPERACION INTERNACIONAL PARA EL DESARROLLO - AECID, #AICS, British Council, Centrālā finanšu un līgumu aģentūra, Central Project Management Agency, Camões - Instituto da Cooperação e da Língua, I.P., Czech Development Agency - CzechAid, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, Estonian Centre for International Development (ESTDEV), #FCDO, #FIIAPP, Goethe-Institut e.V., LuxDev, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken, Netherlands Enterprise Agency , #RoAid, SNV, Sida, Slovak Agency for International Development Cooperation

🗣️In a joint article, Thorsten Schäfer-Gümbel, Chair of the Board of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH , and Jean Van Wetter , CEO of Enabel , point out that international development organisations play an essential role in supporting fragile states. ❗Read the full article 👇 #WorkingBetterTogether #KnowledgeExchange #TeamEurope #StrongerTogether

Unpleasant Truths: European Development Policy Needs a Thourogh Revision Having spent a good part of my professional life in international cooperation and development policy, I became increasingly unsatisfied with the approaches, objectives, and (non-) results of those activities. I am still wondering why there is virtually no serious public debate on that policy field, given the fact that the EU and its member states together rank as the largest donors of global development aid—in hard money: the EU spends around 70 bn annually. In times of geopolitical competition with China, Russia and other nations, we can no longer afford a lack of efficiency and clear policy objectives. In my latest policy brief of the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies, I developed a conceptual framework from a centre-right perspective to understand better what is going wrong and how to find new approaches. I start with three building blocks: - Limitation: Conservative and liberal thinking is characterized by deep mistrust, rejection of comprehensive solutions, and awareness of the limits of governance. Development policies are often led by overstretched objectives, resource waste, and persistent asymmetrical relations between donors and recipients. Subsidiarity: The principle of subsidiarity, central to Christian Democracy and the European Constitution, emphasizes local empowerment. However, current development often violates this by perpetuating dependencies. EU and national development policies need to be oriented towards clear subsidiarity principles. - Conditionality: Not remaining true to our values would invite accusations of double standards. Applying this criterion respects diverse socio-cultural development patterns, aligns with principles of limitation and subsidiarity, and ensures efficiency and sustainability through transparency and accountability, providing a safeguard against costly and detrimental engagements like those in Afghanistan and the Sahel. My conclusions are the following: - With rising populism and expected budget cuts, the "more is better" model must end. The established cooperation system has failed; it no longer serves European interests globally and contradicts Europe's intended more vital role in international relations. - A broader understanding of "sustainability" should replace the vague idea of "development". - Ethical implications and contradictions in current systems need open discussion, while political conditionality must remain to preserve Europe's credibility. - Real mutual interest includes accepting conditions and transparent limits of engagement. Save-the-world illusions have to go. Improved coordination between the EU and member states is needed. The added value of the EU's development efforts often needs to be clarified. Thanks also to Samuel C. for his valuable contributions. #EU #DevelopmentPolicy #GlobalSouth #Centreright #ChristianDemocracy https://lnkd.in/eeFS5tf4

My first thoughts on #EU´s commissioner candidates mission letters. The overall strategy from Ursula von der Leyen is not a surprise: #competitiveness and #security dominate the survival plan to keep Europe alive in global game. Me as #systemchange nerd, the strong systematic and #coherence approach was nice surprise. #wholeofgovernment and #wholeofsociety approaches, interlinkages between internal and external policies, #climate and #2030 Agenda & #sustainabledevelopmentgoals are at each commissioners ‘portfolio. #Democracy, #gender, dialogue with citizens and youth and #transparency are listed too in all mission letters. Five commissioners (high representative, international partnerships, preparedness & crisis, enlargement and  Mediterranean) will work with external affairs. Additionally new defence portfolio will influence in the whole positioning of EU in global area. During first 100 days we will see the first white paper of the future of European defence. And of course, the situation in #Ukraine, effects massively in all areas. EU wants to play a leading role in strengthening and updating #multilateralism and in reforming the international rules-based system. EU´s old geopolitical policy has turned to be called the new foreign economic policy which flagship is #globalgateway. Commissioner candidate Sikela´s task is to take it from start up to scale up, and faster the disbursements of funds. The rapidly changing political environment force EU to update almost all its strategies: new pact for #Mediterranean, EU #MiddleEast strategy, new impetus on cooperation with #Africa, new approach to #Sahel region, deepening engagement with #IndoPacific region, strengthening cooperation with #LatinAmerica and #Caribbean, take forward the partnership with #CentralAsia, multi-year support for #Palestine, reconstruction plan for #Gaza, #Gulf strategy and luckily the clear text on differentiated approach with #leastdeveloped and #middleincomecountries where all #humandevelopment is mostly needed. More coherence could be found in the humanitarian commissioner Lahbib´s letter where rightly #nexus is mentioned as commission-wide integrated approach to fragility, better humanitarian, development, peace and other policies. Also, the new aspect, civil preparedness has to pact on that and not at all forget #climate adaptation. Positive text can be found also from commissioner-designate for #democracy McGrath´s letter on building the #civilsociety platform to support more systemic dialogue and strengthen protection of civil society, activists and human rights defenders.   Generally, mission letters have many positive priorities for the EU in coming years. The big question is how the money will be shared between all commission priorities and strong focus to competitiveness and security is not promising very good for the whole world. 

We take a look at the European Commission’s leaked documents, which outlines its vision for the next 5 years. To nobody’s surprise, it appears as though the EU is planning to pursue a foreign aid agenda based on its own economic interests rather than prioritizing issues linked to global development. #Europe #EU #EC

🇪🇺 #EuropeDay, celebrated on May 9th, commemorates the 74th anniversary of the well-known #SchumanDeclaration. At that time, a new form of economic and political cooperation in #Europe was set in motion, making war between European nations inconceivable and allowing economic and social progress of the member countries, that today, amounts to 27 nations. On this anniversary, we recognize the invaluable contributions of the #EuropeanUnion to global development. As the world's leading donor of development funds, the EU plays a pivotal role in supporting many of our projects to improve millions of lives around the world, and towards the implementation of the 2030 agenda. #WeAreDTGlobal #EU #2030agenda

What will 2025 hold for the EU? 🇪🇺 Anita Käppeli, Mikaela Gavas and Laura Granito explore the key issues likely to shape the EU’s approach to int'l partnerships, as well as the opportunities and challenges the bloc will face in development cooperation. ⬇ https://bit.ly/402xqlE #EU #Development #GlobalDevelopment

The European Week of Regions and Cities is a vital platform for fostering collaboration among diverse stakeholders to address common challenges and celebrate the achievements of EU cohesion policy. This initiative plays a crucial role in promoting balanced development across regions, supporting millions of citizens, and enhancing resilience in the face of recent crises. It's a testament to the EU's commitment to reducing disparities and building a more cohesive Europe. https://lnkd.in/dt6hbRM7

EU ENLARGEMENT, AN URGENT STRATEGIC NECESSITY. Enlargement is not a benevolent gesture extended to candidate countries; it is a strategic redistribution of responsibilities and resources. By integrating new members, the EU addresses governance challenges, reduces free-riding, and incorporates key actors into its decision-making processes. This approach stabilises the Union internally, and enhances its capacity to project power and influence externally. Acting as a cohesive bloc amplifies the EU’s influence on the global stage, in transatlantic partnerships, the UN, and in other multilateral forums. We stand at a moment of profound crisis. At such a moment, #enlargement emerges not as a reluctant choice but an essential #strategy for #securing the EU’s #future. It is a mechanism for managing risks, reinforcing resilience, and asserting the Union’s relevance on the global stage. Beyond mitigating risks, enlargement carries the potential to reinvigorate the European project. New members bring fresh perspectives, resources, and ideas that can drive innovation and reform within the Union. This dynamism is particularly crucial as the EU seeks to navigate challenges ranging from digital transformation to the green transition. Enlargement thus provides an opportunity to renew the Union’s commitment to its founding principles of unity, solidarity, and shared prosperity. Furthermore, the symbolic value of enlargement cannot be overstated. Welcoming countries like #Ukraine and #Moldova into the EU underscores the Union’s role as a beacon of democracy and human rights. It sends a powerful message of solidarity and support to nations striving to align with European values. And it reinforces the EU’s position as a global leader in promoting peace and stability. The costs of inaction: of course, enlargement is not without its challenges. Integrating new members requires significant investments in capacity building, institutional reform, and economic development. It also necessitates a rethinking of governance structures to accommodate a larger and more diverse membership. However, these challenges are not insurmountable. The EU has a proven track record of adapting to change and finding innovative solutions to complex problems. The costs of EU inaction are far greater. Failing to embrace enlargement risks ceding influence to external powers, undermining the EU’s strategic autonomy, and perpetuating instability at its borders. In contrast, a proactive approach to #enlargement #strengthens the EU’s #position as a resilient and forward-looking actor in an increasingly competitive global landscape. Far from being a gamble, enlargement is a testament to the EU’s enduring vision and ambition.