Statement on international aspects of EU Common Agricultural Policy - 7 March 2012

Europe’s Common Agricultural Policy needs to reduce its negative impacts on farming in developing countries and be more responsible at international level outlines a joint statement today by CONCORD, the European coalition of Development and Relief NGOs, farming coalition, European Coordination Via Campesina, and other co-signing organisations.

The statement comes ahead of European Commission discussions on the international aspects of the CAP in Brussels on March 12

Read the Statement here

Concord Denmark questionnaire on post 2015 agenda – mapping the countries position

In agreement with Concord Europe and the Beyond 2015 campaign, Concord Danmark is initiating a political mapping of the country positions on the post 2015 agenda. To this end we have formulated six questions for the Concord National Platforms. The answers will provide civil society organizations, wishing to engage in the post 2015 process, with a valuable resource and lobbying tool and will facilitate the coordination of political positions across civil society networks and organizations. As this process will function as a lead in to the Beyond 2015 conference in Brussels at the end of May we ask that you send your answers by 12:00 on 10 April 2012.

Find the complete questionnaire here - Contact mwo@concorddanmark.dk

Danish EU Presidency to push for development friendly CAP - 28 February 2012

Europe's farm policy should take into account its impact on developing countries and be more coherent with anti-poverty efforts announced the Danish Presidency of the European Union today.

Speaking at a conference on Trade, Development and Agriculture organised by CONCORD Denmark and the Danish Agriculture Council in Copenhagen, Friis Bach, Minister for Development Cooperation declared:

"Denmark will strive to promote the Policy Coherence for Development agenda during our EU Presidency. PCD is not just another ingredient of the alphabet soup, but all about making our development efforts more effective, transparent and inclusive. With clear consequences for the world’s poorest and most vulnerable groups."

Welcoming the positive approach of the Danish Presidency, Olivier Consolo, Director of CONCORD, the European NGO confederation for Relief and Development said:

"Today the Danish Presidency has stood up for a major improvement in the CAP reform that can reduce the policies negative impacts in poor countries. More EU member states should go Danish when it comes to pushing for the CAP to be more coherent with development objectives. To improve the CAP, the EU Commission needs to establish impact and monitoring mechanisms so that overseas impacts can be fully assessed.”

Read the media reaction

EU must stop bio-fuelling injustice and hunger in Africa - 28 February 2012

The European Union’s biofuel policy continues to threaten food security and increase land grabs in Africa, shows a new report to be presented today in Brussels by the EuropAfrica platform and FIAN, ‘(Bio)fuelling injustice: Europe’s responsibility to counter climate change without provoking land grabbing and compounding food insecurity in Africa’. The report can be downloaded here www.europafrica.info

The report is released as the EU is set to review its biofuel policy in 2012 in line with environmental impacts.

The study further finds that the EU and its Member States violate their human rights obligations by not having conducted an adequate assessment of the impact of the biofuel policy on human rights and by not regulating European companies and financial actors.

“The EU’s good intention to fight climate change by promoting renewable energy is turning into a disaster. Europe is outsourcing its production, getting a ready supply of biofuels at the expense of the environment and people in the developing world. Biofuels are a perfect example of how EU policies aren’t coherent with development objectives and the legal provision of policy coherence for development,” says Blandine Bouniol, Policy Coordinator at CONCORD, the European NGO Confederation of Relief and Development NGOs.

Read the press release here.

Reaction: EU Trade and Development proposal - 27 January

The European Union is proposing to change its trade relations with the developing world, cutting back on “aid for trade” policies by differentiating support between middle income countries and less developed countries. It comes as the EU Commission launches a new 10 year strategy for ‘Trade, Growth and Development’.

You can read the Commission's communication here

Media Reaction

CONCORD recognizes the efforts of the European Commission to focus on less developed countries but we're concerned that EU trade policy is more concerned with extracting profit than of assisting development.

“More aid for less developed countries is needed and welcome as they currently lack support, representing only 20% of current ‘aid for trade’ measures. But the EU should not see the developing world as the BRICs vs the rest. Unfortunately great inequalities and poverty levels remain and are even increasing in some richer developing countries, despite their high economic growh levels. The EU Commission must be clearer as to exactly which countries could lose out on support and show evidence that the new policy won’t negatively affect their development,” says Olivier Consolo, CONCORD Director.

“The new plan is more about how aid will support EU trade profit than about how trade policy will support development. The EU can market it as ‘tailored support’ but the real is aim is to impose its own trade standards on the developing world”, adds Marc Maes, Trade Policy Officer of the Belgian NGO coalition 11.11.11 and member of CONCORD.

CONCORD calls for a transparent, inclusive trade policy towards developing countries that is the result of a common effort to identify the trade measures that are really geared to their needs.

Policy Coherence for Development must be more present in trade policies

Report: European External Action Service - 10 January 2012

The European Union is marginalizing anti-poverty objectives within its new foreign policy arm, the External Action Service (EEAS), outlines our new report.

The report comes as the EEAS reaches its first year of operations.

We outline 5 reccomendations for the new service to improve on its development policy objectives.

Read the full report here

Read the press release in English here

Read the press release in French here

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