On Monday 11 April, the European Commission announced that the Global Gateway, the EU’s strategic investment plan for major infrastructure projects to create global connectivity, regulatory frameworks and counter China’s ‘Belt and Road Initiative’, will be at the heart of the European Development Days (EDD) on 21-22 June.
Objective: to take stock of the implementation of this investment plan.
For this 15th edition, the EDD will bring together senior officials for panels devoted to the five types of infrastructure which are relevant to the EU’s partner countries: digital, energy & climate, transport, health & education and research.
These are the five areas of investment targeted by this plan launched in December 2021 (see EUROPE 12844/7), which the Commission expects to raise up to €300 billion of public and private funds by 2027.
There will also be sessions on the geopolitical context and the need for sustainable financing flows, as well as sessions dedicated to each region.
The ‘Global Gateway’ for Africa, endowed with €203 million from the EU budget for 2021-2024, focuses on green growth for jobs, smart and sustainable cities, good governance and security (see EUROPE 12924/21). A €150 billion investment plan until 2027 was promised by Ursula von der Leyen at the 6th EU-African Union Summit (see EUROPE 12894/1). (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)