Brussels, 25/10/2010 (Agence Europe) - What will be the future of the European development policy now it is integrated in the external policy of the EU? The Development Ministers of the 27, welcomed by the Belgian Minister Charles Michel for an Informal Council in Brussels on 21 and 22 October, inaugurated the era of the European External Action Service (EEAS) by calling for the best possible articulation between the foreign affairs of the EU and the dynamics of development.
The development ministers of the 27, the European Commissioners Andris Piebalgs (Development) and Kristalina Georgieva (International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response), meeting for the first time under the chairmanship of Catherine Ashton, used their brainstorming dinner to agree on strategic directions on their future work.
"Is development an instrument or an element of foreign policy? Very clearly, we believe that we must find this balance, taking account of the specific nature of development, which must come in a perspective of peace and stability. Following a development policy is not merely a matter of giving charity, but indicating the direction we feel the future of humanity is going in", Charles Michel told press (our translation).
On this basis, the 27 feel that it is very important for the development ministers to meet several times a year with the foreign ministers to define agendas, "agendas in the medium term - the next 18 months - and the long-term", said Charles Michel, "because development issues are for the long haul, unlike foreign affairs, which are often dominated by immediate international current affairs". (A.N./trans.fl)