Note from the editor: the below article was published on the 1st of March on the website of the German Development Institute, and in German on the sites of Die Zeit and Deutsche Welle The approval of the second EU-Commission of José Manuel Barroso by the European Parliament on 9 February should prove a defining moment for European development policy. The Lisbon Treaty changes the institutional setting for the external relations of the European Union (EU) and while intra-EU horse-trading...   read more >>

The October 2009 issue of The Broker featured an opinion piece from 3 current directors and 1 former director of leading European development institutes that formed the start for this discussion blog. The 4 institutions – DIE based in Bonn, ECDPM based in Maastricht, ODI based in London and FRIDE based in Madrid - have joinedt forces again. They have just published a Memorandum titled ‘New Challenges, New Beginnings: Next Steps in European Development Cooperation’. The report presents pract...   read more >>

Those of you who are subscribed to the Broker magazine will have already come across it, but this brief post is to highlight an article in the most recent edition by Otto Holman, reader in international relations and European integration studies at the University of Amsterdam. In the article, Otto Holman reflects on the recent posts in this Blog on the future of Europe, and present his own analysis of the implications of the entering into force of Lisbon for the future of Europe as a gl...   read more >>

In order to improve the promotion of Policy Coherence for Development in the European Union, we need to address both 'thematic' and 'horizontal' priorities. Thematic priorities such as trade and migration policies are generally in the limelight and discussed ardently - as was the case in the Council and the EP recently. Horizontal priorities - what is to be done to actually ensure delivery on PCD? - are perhaps less exciting but no less crucial to achieving progress on PCD...   read more >>

Last Friday, European Commission President Barosso presented his proposed 27-strong team and the policy portfolios for each of them. Reactions in the press on the proposed team of Commissioners are on average 'tentatively positive' of the mix of experience and new blood, while also starring one woman more than the present team. It goes without saying that the European Parliament is quite anxious to organise the hearings for the proposed Commissioners in the first weeks 2010. Columnist N...   read more >>

While the longest dinner in EU history is soon to start, some of you may like to easy the waiting by taking account of important decisions made by the EU this week on policy coherence and more contours of the 'job description' for the High Representative for foreign and security policy. Whereas the latter note on the High Representative points out that trade and development policy should remain the responsibility of the respective Commissioners in the European Commission,...   read more >>

Judith Sargentini is an MEP for GroenLinks, the Dutch Greens. Before being elected last June, she spent ten years working for development NGOs. November 2009 is a historic month. With Vaclav Klaus, the last head of state has finally ratified the Lisbon Treaty. The Treaty, in effect as from 1st December, makes the Council of ministers more transparent, gives us Members of the European Parliament more legislative powers and - very relevant for the development world - it gives us a say over...   read more >>

Those of you who missed the Czech Constitutional Court's ruling and the subsequent signing of the Treaty by Vaclav Klaus on were likely staying on an uninhabited island. The addition of the final signature last Tuesday at 15.00 PM Central European Time also marked an official end to a long period of speculation and uncertainty, as well as a short tradition of researchers to accompany statements on Lisbon with 'if ratified', 'likely to be ratified', 'eventual ratification of',...   read more >>

At Ermonville in December 2008 and in London in April 2009, a group of around 50 politicians, policy-makers and analysts gathered to discuss Europe’s role in development and to think through practical and effective operational structures. As a follow-up to those conferences, ODI, AFD, DFID and KFW are now jointly hosting an online discussion forum through which analysis, ideas and thinking are shared. Over 50 ‘EU change-makers’, most of whom attended the Ermonville and/or London conferences...   read more >>

The last two weeks saw the majority of Irish citizens voting in support of their country’s ratification of the Lisbon Treaty, as well as the Polish President providing his signature after his first pen mysteriously failed to produce ink. Now all eyes are set on Václav Klaus in his Prague Castle, who needs to provide the final signature that will allow the Treaty to become a reality. Although the Czech Constitutional Court may still take some time to assess the ‘constitutionality’ of the...   read more >>

A few days ago, the Irish voters approved the Lisbon Treaty. Therefore, it now looks increasingly likely that, after many years of preparation, the Treaty will finally enter into force, Klaus willing…. In various blogs in this series, analyses have been made of the possible effects of the far-reaching institutional changes we can expect to happen during the coming months on development policy. Dangers as well as opportunities have been pointed out, and conditions have been formulated in...   read more >>

Mirjam van Reisen is Director at Europe External Policy Advisors (EEPA) - a centre of expertise that provides in-depth analysis in order to strengthen the participation of all actors contributing to the creation of a responsible social Europe. The European Union exists only through the legal agreements that underpin it. Therefore the Lisbon Treaty is important, and scrutinising it is relevant to identifying the perspective of a future European Union. The good news is that the Lisbon T...   read more >>

As is normal to any prospective analysis, considering the future role of Europe in the world is accompanied by a large degree of both possibilities and uncertainty. The consequences of the results of the second Irish referendum notwithstanding, European policy makers have been debating the likely institutional changes and other implications of the Lisbon Treaty for EU development cooperation, and the media has been more than occupied with discussing both likely and unlikely candidates of th...   read more >>

Dieter Frisch is the Former Director General for Development at the European Commission I share most of the ideas, concerns and recommendations expressed in this article. There is however one point where more clarity would be welcome: the role of the future Development Commissioner and the development services reporting to him. I want to make it clear that I am not in favour of an autonomous development policy – the authors call it “silo mentality” – , but that I consider development...   read more >>

In this brief video commentary, Paul Engel, Director of European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM), shares a number of additional reflections on the basis of the article Shaping Europe’s International Role published on The Broker website with Simon Maxwell, Dirk Messner, and Pierre Schori. His comments particularly focus on what the possible ratification of the Lisbon Treaty could mean for European development cooperation policy and practice, with particular attention to the...   read more >>

Mikaela Gavas, is Research Associate at The Overseas Development Institute In the next few weeks, the future of Europe’s external face and form will be decided. A new European Commission and new structures if the Lisbon Treaty is ratified offer openings for the EU to act in new ways on the international stage. Come January 2010, the EU could have new structures, new leaders and a new way of engaging in the world. The ODI background note ‘Options for architectural reform in European U...   read more >>