Europe’s role in the world: From development policy towards a policy for global sustainable development?

Project description

This research projects investigates the implications of the transformation of international cooperation for Europe. The European Union has a specific role, because it is a bilateral actor with global influence and at the same time a multilateral system for cooperation among the EU institutions and member states.

The following issues are examined in three working packages:

1. The Future of the Cotonou Agreement: The Cotonou Agreement between the member states of the EU and those of the African-Caribbean-Pacific (ACP) Group will expire in 2020. The project supports the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in designing and facilitating a German position regarding the future of EU-ACP relations.
2. Value-based cooperation: The EU is well equipped to promote democratic governance and human rights through external actions. However, the EU faces challenges in effectively implementing its instruments in cooperation with the target countries. The project seeks to explore (i) the implementation and reform of the EU’s instruments to promote of democratic governance in EU-ACP relations and (ii) the promotion of social and environmental standards in the EU’s development and trade policies.
3. From development policy towards a policy for global sustainable development: The agreement on an Agenda 2030 for sustainable development requires a number of fundamental structural changes. The project analyses the implications and reform needs resulting for EU development policy and EU external action more broadly. In particular, the project analyses to what extent cooperation with middle-income countries has changed, or should change. In addition, the project analyses how and to what extent the EU supports sustainable development across different policy fields.

The project closely collaborates with the European Think Tank Group.