briefing session for parliamentarians and policy makers

will europe make a difference? future of the european development policy

report

The report of the Briefing Session is now on line

date and venue

September 1^st 2005, International Press Centre, Residence Palace, Rue de la Loi 155, Brussels.

purpose

To provide high quality information and a platform for informed debate on the new EU Development Policy Statement (DPS), proposal of which is due to be released by the Commission on 12th July, and on the future of European development cooperation and policy in the context of international efforts for eradication of poverty. To give one of the last opportunities for the parliamentarians, policy makers, representatives of Development administration and researchers to deal with the mandate and the commitment of the EU (as a whole, the Commission and the Member States) towards the UN Millennium Summit in New York, taking place only two weeks after the briefing session, and the consequences for the coherent European external policies.

programme and speeches

Pre-Briefing
12.00 – 13.25: 'Meet the Press Luncheon' – Lunch and a pres conference. Lunch will be provided by SID Europe and the press conference is organised by Inter-Press Service Europe (IPS EUROPE).

Briefing 1^st Part
13.30 - 13.35: Short introduction to the session - Jos van Gennip, President of SID NL and European Programme
13.35 - 14.00: Keynote speech – Mr. Louis Michel, Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian affairs
14.00 – 14.30: Questions for the Commissioner

Briefing 2^nd Part
14.30 - 15.15: Panel of Experts will seek to provide participants with analysis of the new DPS and the high quality information

Bernard Petit, Director, Directorate B, Development Policy and Sectoral Issues, European Commission DG for Development, which is a driving force behind the new DPS.
James Mackie, Head of European programme at ECDPM, Maastricht, will provide a short background of the old DPS (he led a team of researches in Assessment of the old EC Development Policy), a critical analysis of the new DPS
Nick Dyer, Head of the European Union Department, DFID, representing the UK EU Presidency

15.15 - 16.00: Question and answer session and discussion led by Simon Maxwell, Director of Overseas Development Institute, London
16.00: Closing by the Chair Jos van Gennip

participants

Please click here to view the list of participants.

logistics

The Session was organised by the Society for International Development – SID European Programme in partnership with the European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes – EADI as part of the Europe-wide EDC 2010 programme.

For any further information about the Briefing Session please contact: Gordana Stankovic or phone +31 70 338 3285.

background reading

the hague conference - september 2004

This international conference can be considered as the second milestone of SID's European Programme. The title is 'European development cooperation: towards policy renewal and a new commitment' and its objective is to explore opportunities for policy renewal and lay the foundations for a new commitment from politicians and from civil society towards the policy agenda. The conference is being held on September 27 and 28 in The Hague, the Netherlands and is organised in conjunction with EADI and Euforic.

More information about this conference is available in the conference overview and the programme. Several speeches and presentations are available on line (see also the programme and workshop pages):

Conference participants who wish to have all background information in one single document can download the Briefing Document.

Louk Box interviewing Agnes van Ardenne and Zéphirin Diabré
(from left to right)

The first event of the programme was a 2-day conference in November 2003, aimed at parliamentarians and NGO´s from the accession countries, reflecting on the future of European development cooperation following the enlargement of the EU.

updated:

4 October 2005

a three year programme of the society for international development

the european union and the south: a new era
Every entity, be it a union, a country, a company or an individual, is responsible for the world around it. This implies that the economic behaviour of a grouping should never damage another economic structure. In its policies and actions, therefore, the European Union should not only consider the internal interests of Member States, groupings and lobby interests, but also the external impact.

A united and responsible policy is necessary for Europe's interaction with the wider world. Europe has great economic power and potential political influence which should be used to create a more just world. This 3-year programme will examine the role and responsibility of the European Union in development cooperation and policy in the coming years as it expands to take in the new accession countries. More about the programme...

news and updates

conference report
Now available, the report of the The Hague 2004 conference and its Agenda for Action. Read also the report of the Vienna 2003 conference. To order printed versions please contact Gordana Stankovic.

press corner
Outcomes of the conference
Conference picturebook

inter press service news agency
Development news website

press release: Dutch - English

press information in dutch:
Uitkomsten van de conferentie
Achtergrond informatie
Briefing paper

workshop 1:
intro - conclusies
workshop 2:
intro - conclusies
workshop 3:
intro - conclusies
workshop 4:
intro - conclusies
workshop 5:
intro - conclusies
workshop 6:
intro - conclusies
workshop 7:
intro - conclusies

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Do you wish to receive updates on the European Programme of SID, including the conferences in 2003 and 2004 and the expansion of the SID network to the 10 accession countries? To subscribe, please send an e-mail to the editor .

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