The new “European Consensus on Development”, which will set out the joint vision of the European Parliament, Commission and Council (that will be in line with the universal sustainable development goals – SDGs) and the new challenges to be addressed, is due to be adopted on 19 May.
The member state ambassadors to the EU met within Coreper on Wednesday 10 May to discuss the three institutions' draft joint declaration and add the finishing touches (see EUROPE 11748, 11725).
“There is agreement on nearly everything. But there is still one sticking point on the trust funds. The European Parliament is due to give its opinion on Monday 15 May”, a source close to the issue told EUROPE. The aim is for the Consensus to be adopted at the Foreign Affairs Council that will be held in its development format in Brussels on 19 May.
“The Council will adopt the new European Consensus on Development next week, which will replace the 2030 Agenda at the centre of our development policies, both at the European and national level. It will be my pleasure to host UN Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed in Brussels that day”, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini said in New York on 9 May (Europe Day) in her speech on cooperation between the EU and the UN.
The proposal for the new European Consensus on Development was put forward by the Commission and European External Action Service in November 2016 in order to re-orientate the future EU policy. The upcoming adoption of this document will enable the EU to take part in the UN’s political forum on the SDG in July, having put on paper the approaches, principles and priorities of the EU’s development policy (see EUROPE 11673). (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)