With thousands of migrants making the perilous journey across the Mediterranean to Europe every month, the role the European Union (EU) plays in development is an increasingly pertinent issue.
Justine Greening, the international development secretary, has called on the EU to match Britain’s commitments on aid spending, saying that alleviating poverty in Africa is the long-term solution to tackling migration from the continent to Europe.
At the same time, new analysis by campaign group One sparked calls for EU ministers to endorse the sustainable development goals (SDGs) as a matter of urgency. One’s 2015 data report showed that although the least-developed countries bear an increasing share of the world’s population living in extreme poverty, the amount they receive in development assistance is falling.
The European Report on Development 2015, published last month, warned that the EU needed to adopt a “completely new approach” when it comes to development. The report recommended that the EU switch its focus to policies that have a long-term and transformative impact.
As development professionals gather in Brussels for the EU Dev Days conference, we’ll discuss the future of the EU in development. The first hour will look at the EU’s role in the post-2015 agenda, and the second hour will address the EU’s role in financing for development.
Across the two hours, we will address the following questions:
- Is EU development policy in need of a radical rethink?
- How can the work of the EU support the sustainable development goals?
- Should the EU match the UK’s commitments on overseas aid, or should it go even further?
Join an expert panel on Thursday 4 June, 1-3pm BST, to discuss all these questions and more.
The live chat is not video or audio-enabled but will take place in the comments section (below). Get in touch via globaldevpros@theguardian.com or@GuardianGDP on Twitter to recommend someone for our expert panel. Follow the discussion using the hashtag #globaldevlive.
Panel
Alexandre Polack, spokesperson, European Commission, Brussels, Belgium, @APolackEU
Alexandre is an EU spokesperson for international cooperation, development and humanitarian aid for the European Commission
Laura Sullivan, regional director: Europe and the Americas, ActionAid International, Brussels, Belgium, @ActionAidEU, @laura_sullivan
Based in Brussels, Laura Sullivan is the regional director for ActionAid International in Europe and the Americas
Dirk Willem te Velde, senior research fellow, ODI, London, UK, @dwtevelde
Dirk is head of the International Economic Development Group at ODI and is team leader of the European Report on Development 2015
Tove Ryding, policy and advocacy manager, Eurodad, Brussels, Belgium, @toveryding
Tove coordinates financing for development and tax justice at the European Network of Debt and Development
Hilary Jeune, EU policy advisor, Oxfam International, Brussels, Belgium, @hilaryjeune
Hilary has worked in advocacy on EU trade and development policies for the past 10 years
Benjamin Fox, economics correspondent, EUobserver, Brussels, Belgium, @euobs
Benjamin is economics correspondent for EUobserver. He also contributes to the Standard newspaper in Kenya
Julie Ward, MEP, European Parliament, Workington, UK, @julie4nw
Julie is a Labour MEP for the North West of England, working on culture, education, gender and human rights
