A right-wing shift at the European elections in June will put at risk Europe’s geopolitical relevance and soft power influence in Africa and other strategically important regions, development ministers from the Party of European Socialists (PES) warned today.
Convening in Brussels ahead of today’s Informal Council meeting, progressive development ministers exchanged with European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen and others on progressive priorities for development policy.
PES Executive Vice-President, Portuguese Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, and meeting Chair, Francisco André said:
“Citizens must be alive to the idea that a right-wing shift in the next mandate would jeopardise backing for strong EU development policy, undermining Europe’s global influence and geopolitical relevance.
“We need to ensure development remains a priority in the next mandate, including strengthening the EU-Africa partnership and securing adequate resources. EU’s external action is vital to promote global sustainable development and sometimes the only hope for people in some of the world’s poorest regions, supporting education, health, and women’s rights.
“When other actors are competing for influence in these regions, we must also underline the strategic importance of EU development policy for the success of Europe’s broader foreign policy objectives, promoting peace, security, prosperity, and the interests of European citizens”.
The meeting called for a greater focus on what development policy has achieved during this mandate, thanks in large part to the efforts of European Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen and progressive ministers across the EU.
Progressive ministers welcomed the development priorities of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU and commended the work undertaken under the Spanish Presidency.
The meeting held an exchange on issues on the development policy agenda, including the Middle East, the Ukrainian Facility, the Team Europe Ministerial Health Mission to the African Union and Ethiopia, and the Global Gateway.
The meeting was attended by:
- Francisco André, Chair of the PES Network, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Portugal
- Caroline Gennez, Minister for Development Cooperation, Belgium
- Dan Jørgensen, Minister for Development Cooperation, Denmark
- Jochen Flasbarth, State Secretary in the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany
- Eva Granados, Secretary of State for International Cooperation, Spain
- Jutta Urpilainen, European Commissioner for International Partnerships, European Commission
- Udo Bullmann MEP, Group Coordinator on Development in the European Parliament, S&D Group
- Yonnec Polet, Deputy Secretary General, PES
