Europe: a true global partner for development?

This report assesses where the EU currently stands on its commitment to meet the Millennium Development Goal 8 – to develop a Global Partnership for Development. It is based on views from 27 countries, drawing on a range of sources and sets out a number of critical steps that need to be taken in order to fulfil those commitments.

Main findings of the report are:

• the good news is that MDG 8 has succeeded in highlighting the need for coherence between all government policies and the objective of reducing poverty
• but the urgency of the challenge of halving global poverty is not so far reflected in the actions being taken and discussed: self-interest – rather than the interests of children and families today being denied adequate nutrition, education, health care and clean water – is still the factor which makes change too slow
• most European donors are failing to meet the UN target on aid to Least Developed Countries – but seven have achieved it and most have increased aid to LDCs since 2000
• four EU donors - Portugal, Belgium, Italy and Denmark - allocate over 75 % of their aid to LDCs and most allocate over half to LDCs or other Low Income Countries; but this still leaves the EC, Austria, Spain and some new EU donors spending too much of their aid on Middle Income Countries
• the case of sugar illustrates how deeply domestic interests are entrenched at the expense of the poor. 73% increases in support to EU sugar producers harms, rather than helps the poor

Recommendations of the report include:

• reporting and decision-making in relation to the MDGs should be more accountable and participatory, involving the European and national Parliaments and civil society in these processes
• at EU level, the European Commission should continue to play a strong role in regular monitoring of overall EU progress on Goal 8 every two years, within the context of the UN General Assembly reviews of the Millennium Declaration and the Financing for Development (FfD) follow-up process
• the framework for EU reporting on MDG 8 should be revised to include indicators on global governance and participation, and should use a common definition of ODA which ensures that ODA means a real transfer of resources to developing countries
• EU donors should agree a revised definition of ODA that excludes debt relief and cancellation of all unpayable export credit debt; and should fully untie all aid, including food aid and technical cooperation, to all developing countries by 2010
• European countries should request that the IFIs improve their transparency by making the transcripts, minutes and important documents of board meetings available to the public.