EU Development Policy must not become Subordinate to Trade or Security Policy

KEHYS (Finnish NGDO Platform to the EU) demands that during the upcoming EU presidency, Finland must promote the integration of development objectives in the external and internal policies of the EU.

Development policy should be a separate policy sector of which the objectives and values are not subordinate to external, security or trade policy. Policy coherence for development is achieved when decisions in other policy sectors support poverty eradication and sustainable development.

Over 50 Finnish organizations have participated in planning the joint Call for Coherence programme. Finnish and European NGOs have compiled a list of demands, which aim to strengthen policy coherence for development in the decision-making process of the EU. KEHYS delivered its statement, including the demands, to the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Paula Lehtomäki, the Minister for Foreign Affairs Erkki Tuomioja and other relevant ministers.

“We demand the rationalisation of, among other things, ex ante and institutional mechanisms and coordination. The role and expertise of the civil society have to be recognised better. It is not just a question of justice but efficiency as well. Development aid alone is not enough if at the same time, contradictory policies weaken the position of developing countries,” the Secretary General of KEHYS Rilli Lappalainen says.

The Call for Coherence programme aims to clarify the importance of policy coherence by pointing out different connections between development policy and five other policy sectors. The selected policies are security, migration, trade, environmental and HIV/AIDS policy. These are the themes that interest the NGOs involved in the campaign and, according to the EU, these themes also belong to the policy sectors where the coherence with the development policy is essential.

EU Committed to Policy Coherence for Development

For the first time, policy coherence for development is mentioned as a principle in the Maastricht Treaty (1992). According to the Treaty, all EU policies have to be coherent and conform to the objectives of development policy. The European Consensus on Development (2005) defines the development policy strategy of the European Union. According to the European Consensus on Development as well, the EU must take into consideration the goals of development policy in the implementation of all the policy sectors that are likely to affect developing countries.

In May 2005, the Council verified the commitment that binds the EU to monitor and promote policy coherence for development in 12 priority fields. The Commission is preparing a more detailed working programme for achieving the goals.

"The European Union is the world’s largest donor of official development aid and a powerful global actor. If desired, it has the opportunity to act more effectively against poverty. The policy coherence for development is the only key to functional and credible EU development cooperation", Lappalainen says.

Activities of KEHYS during the EU Presidency

Today, KEHYS opened a web site for the EU Presidency where you can find updated information about the civil society and the EU institutions. The page also contains background information about the campaign and a list of NGO events related to the EU presidency.

KEHYS will organise an international Call for Coherence conference on 2-3 October in Helsinki. The conference will assemble experts interested in policy coherence representing the Member States, EU institutions, research institutes and civil society. The conference will be held in the Hotel Scandic Continental in cooperation with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, Development Policy Committee of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and the European Commission. A joint message of the conference will be delivered in the General Affairs & External Relations Council meeting on 16-17 October in Luxembourg. For the first time, a collective meeting of the ministers for trade and development of the EU will be organised in context of the Council.

Besides the activities, KEHYS focuses on advocacy in Finland and in the EU. The Secretariat will follow actively the official development policy agenda.

For more information:

EU Presidency web site of KEHYS: http://www.kehys.fi/eupresidency

Statement of the NGOs “Policy Coherence for Development”

Secretary General Rilli Lappalainen KEHYS rilli.lappalainen@kehys.fi, +358 9 2315 0560, +358 50 561 3456

EU Presidency Project Information Officer Anna Pollari anna.pollari@kehys.fi, +358 9 2315 0563

EU Presidency Project Coordinator (conferences in particular) Anne Holopainen anne.holopainen@kehys.fi, +358 9 2315 0564