Highlights of the Concord Report on Policy Coherence for Development

Laura Sullivan

Europe Policy & Campaigns Manager, ActionAid International

EIB funding Glencore amid tax scandal

EU Renewable Energy Directive fuelling land grabs and substituting food for fuel

CAP Dairy subsidies would allow all EU cows to fly around the globe with some spending money leftover for shopping. A thing of the past? Not entirely!

Remember this?

PCD as a Lisbon Treaty ProvisionArticle 208 Treaty of Lisbon:

The Union shall take account of the objectives of development cooperation in the policies that it implements which are likely to affect developing countries

Development cooperation objective = eradication of poverty

Policy Coherence for development is a core part of the development agenda which can help advance towards the MDGs

PCD as a human rights obligation

PCD = Based on same founding principles as the EU

PCD = ‘do no harm’

PCD = enhancing people’s rights,

even beyond EU borders

PCD = linking actions and their impacts in a world where economies are increasingly linked

CONCORD’s Vision

Human Rights Based Approach : there can be no development

without the realisation of people’s rights

Status Quo

- Austerity measures in Europe - Domestic interests come out on top in EU Competitiveness

Strategy, Raw Materials Initiative

And yet….

- Solidarity key value of the EU- Protecting people’s rights and improving their living

standards elsewhere is in the interest of EU citizens- Economic and social stability, peace, security, preservation

of the environment etc

Findings of the report• Many EU policies incoherent with development objectives • Emphasis on process and not on progress for people• Existing institutional systems not working:

Concord DK examined 164 impact assessments: 77 were relevant for developing countries. In total only 7 included provisions for impacts on developing countries.

• No complaints mechanism: Failure to channel people’s voices to decision makers

• What happens if a policy is in breach of Article 208?

=> Political will is at the root and choices need to be made

Stick to the letter of the agreements (Lisbon, Dev Consensus)

Barroso must walk the talk: PCD a political priority Put capacity in place to make it work: e.g. put dev

experts on Impact Assessment review boards; capacity in DevCo to participate in Inter Service Consultations; capacity for staff in DGs and EEAS

Consultation matters: set it up to workEstablish a complaints mechanism to ensure people

are heard on injustices even when ownership over policies is far from their local communities

CONCORD recommendations

Conclusion

If the EU is serious about human rights, it must apply that to its impact on external parties also.

The key to doing this is PCD.

PCD must be built into choices made every day in the EU.

Thank you! Merci! Dank u!

www.concordeurope.org laura.sullivan@actionaid.org