New publication on the new European Union's Global Role provides crucial insights for incoming EU leadership

Press release of 18 September 2024

Bonn, 18 September 2024. Today, the President of the European Commission presented her team of 26 designate Commissioners, reflecting her decision as to how to allocate the political responsibility for development policy. As the European Union (EU) takes on new leadership, the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) releases a critical new publication, The European Union's Global Role in a Changing World: Challenges and Opportunities for the New Leadership.

This timely collection of contributions authored by a large group of IDOS researchers and external experts provides crucial insights for the incoming EU leadership, Members of the European Parliament preparing for the hearings with the Commissioners designate, member states and other interested stakeholders.

Featuring 17 in-depth thematic contributions, the collective publication addresses a wide array of urgent global issues including trade, finance, and investment to democracy, migration, climate, energy and multilateralism. It explores the intricate connections between development policy and other sectors, providing practical recommendations for how the EU can better integrate these policies to achieve sustainable global development.

“This publication can serve as a key resource for the incoming EU leadership, policymakers and a public audience interested in processes of the EU across member states, offering valuable perspectives and recommendations on how the EU can adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing world”, highlights Dr Christine Hackenesch, one of the publication’s editors.

The EU’s new leadership faces tough choices and needs to take bold decisions on the EU’s role as a global actor, including its development policy. The first von der Leyen Commission has introduced ambitious initiatives – such as Global Gateway and Team Europe – to strengthen the EU’s visibility, its strategic communication and to use development policy more explicitly to promote the EU’s own interests. These approaches have sparked considerable debate both within Europe and among the EU’s partners.

The European Union’s Global Role in a Changing World: Challenges and Opportunities for the New Leadership is available for download here. In addition, you can find links below to the individual chapters that have also been published on the IDOS blog.

This publication was made possible with the financial support of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and is licensed under Creative Commons to ensure broad accessibility to readers worldwide.

The German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) is one of the world’s leading research institutions and think tanks for global sustainable development. IDOS works to establish partnerships and shape policy for the global common good by conducting theory-led, empirical inter- and transdisciplinary research, providing evidence-based policy advice, supporting early-career researchers, and delivering professionally-focused training. The shareholders of the Institute are the Federal Republic of Germany (75 %) and the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (25 %). IDOS is a member of the Johannes Rau Research Foundation. The institutes of the Johannes Rau Research Foundation are institutionally funded by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.