On Tuesday 28 January, almost three months after their confirmation hearings, the European Commissioners for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib (see EUROPE 13519/6), and for International Partnerships, Jozef Síkela (see EUROPE 13519/5), presented their strategic guidelines for strengthening the integration of the European Union’s external action in crisis regions.
In the European Parliament’s Committee on Development (DEVE), the discussion centred on the need to implement the so-called ‘Humanitarian, Development, and Peace Nexus’ approach, which aims to combine the urgent need for humanitarian aid to rescue populations in distress with the implementation of long-term development cooperation policies to prevent future crises and promote sustainable peace.
In particular, Ms Lahbib said that she wanted to improve the mechanisms for monitoring the EU’s various actions.
“We will base our work and the best practices of the previous Commission on the ‘Nexus’ approach. This approach is now underway in countries such as Pakistan and Ethiopia. It should address specific priorities, like the implementation of social safety nets for the flood season in Pakistan and the management of population displacements in Ethiopia. Our fragility strategy should reinforce these practices and make them more structured”, said Ms Lahbib, while also calling for greater coordination with Commissioners Jozef Síkela, Dubravka Šuica, Wopke Hoekstra and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas.
For his part, the Commissioner for International Partnerships stressed that the ‘Global Gateway’ investment strategy and the EU’s commitments in ‘fragile’ countries were not mutually exclusive. Furthermore, Mr Síkela also presented a five-stage strategy, comparable to a gearbox.
“We start in first gear providing humanitarian assistance to address immediate needs and alleviate suffering. As the situation stabilises, we shift into second gear, adopting a ‘Nexus’ approach (...) laying the groundwork for greater security, stability and peace. Into third gear, we support an environment conducive to growth and private sector involvement. This is where initiatives like the Global Gateway start to take shape. As the development gains momentum, in fourth gear, we ensure that the benefits of investments are felt by all. Finally, we reach fifth gear with Global Gateway in full motion, bringing sustainable growth with the country on the road to prosperity”, he declared.
Lukas Mandl MEP (EPP, German) who is to the right of the Chamber, and Robert Biedroń (S&D, Polish) who is to the left of the Chamber, described the presentations as a “good start” to achieve long-term coherent work.
Background. The dialogue, which opened at the European Parliament on Tuesday, comes against the backdrop of an overhaul of the EU’s development cooperation model, initiated under the leadership of former Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen (see EUROPE 13495/14).
An innovative vision aims to adapt the relevant European policies to the changing dynamics of the global geopolitical landscape (see EUROPE 13562/21) by building on “competitive” international partnerships (see EUROPE 13513/10).
In addition, some 264 EU flagship projects could be piloted across South America, Africa and Asia by 2025 (see EUROPE 13536/12) thanks to the complete reorganisation of the network of EU delegations, as Agence Europe revealed in mid-January (see EUROPE 13558/4).
In the face of worsening crises and impending negotiations on the EU’s next long-term budget, European civil society organisations have stepped up their calls for ambitious funding, which is essential if we are to combat inequality and climate change (see EUROPE 13509/20, 13556/5, 13538/20). (Original version in French by Bernard Denuit)