The ETTG policy brief by Félix Arteaga (Real Instituto Elcano) reviewed by Melody Musoni (ECDPM), Niels Keijzer (IDOS) and Dora Meredith (ODI) examines how to strengthen cybersecurity cooperation between the European Union and African Union, moving beyond fragmented assistance toward a more strategic partnership approach. A better coordinated and partnership-based
ETTG Policy Brief Our forthcoming policy brief will delve into the role of FfD4 in the aligningment of Climate Action and Development through SDG Financing. The 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) offer an integrated framework that addresses structural vulnerabilities, enabling investments to positively affect multiple objectives,
The ETTG policy brief by Jamie Hitchen (ODI) and Dr Kojo Pumpuni Asante (CDD Ghana) explores pathways for strengthening Europe-Africa cooperation in combating digital disinformation. Building on discussions from the ETTG event held in Ghana in September, the brief outlines strategic recommendations for fostering more effective cross-continental collaboration in this
We are excited to announce the publication of a new ETTG policy brief titled “Leveraging Green Industrialization for a Just Transition: Africa-Europe Cooperation.” This insightful brief authored by Damien Barchiche (IDDRI), Alfonso Medinilla (ECDPM), Catherine Kilelu (ACTS), Sébastien Treyer (IDDRI) and Chukwumerije Okereke, (CCCD) offers a comprehensive analysis of the
By Paul Okumu and Daniele Fattibene The launch of the Global Gateway Initiative in December 2021, as part of European Union’s commitment to scaling up the G7’s Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII) has raised expectations, as well as anxiety among the EU’s international partners. For Africa, the Global
The European Think Tanks Group (ETTG) is pleased to present our latest policy brief: “The EU-Africa Migration Agenda: Realizing a New Partnership.” This comprehensive analysis builds on the insightful discussions from our Brussels event held in May 2024, where ETTG, in collaboration with ODI, ECDPM, and the Nordic Africa Institute,
The European Think Tanks Group (ETTG) is pleased to announce the release of a new policy brief on the EU’s role in global development. This report is a culmination of a stimulating discussion held in Rome, which brought together over 30 key figures for a closed-door event. The Rome event featured a
Through an European Think Tanks Group initiative, ODI Europe, alongside ECDPM and The Nordic Africa Institute held a recent event in Brussels – ‘The EU-Africa migration agenda – realising a new partnership’. Ahead of the new European Commission and the 3rd AU-EU ministerial summit, the panel aimed to explore challenges
On 27 February, the European Parliament approved the revision of the EU’s multi-annual financial framework (MFF). As part of these negotiations, EU institutions have agreed on a regulation establishing the so-called Ukraine Facility. This facility concerns a new financial instrument worth €50 billion that is dedicated to supporting Ukraine’s reconstruction and recovery efforts until the end
The bi-regional relations between the European Union (EU) and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) have moved to the forefront of the EU political agenda as a result of this year’s EU-CELAC Summit -the previous one was held in 2015-, this semester’s Spanish presidency of the EU Council -a Member
A year has passed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the war looks set to drag on deep into this year. While European leaders shifted their focus onto Ukraine, Africa has felt the sharp consequences of the war, while continuing to face wider existing challenges. It has undoubtedly had significant
On 27 February, the European Parliament approved the revision of the EU’s multi-annual financial framework (MFF). As part of these negotiations, EU institutions have agreed on a regulation establishing the so-called Ukraine Facility. This facility concerns a new financial instrument worth €50 billion that is dedicated to supporting Ukraine’s reconstruction
ETTG’s latest collective report, “A common future for Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean,” highlights the shared priorities of both regions, including the green, digital, and social transitions. It emphasises the need for increased financial support for Latin America and the Caribbean, specifically looking beyond traditional aid models. The report
ETTG’s coordinator Daniele Fattibene has co-authored a commentary with Stefano Manservisi overviewing the Mattei Plan. Italy launched the Mattei Plan to strengthen its development cooperation with Africa. The plan has an initial funding of 5.5 billion euros and focuses on five key areas: education, agriculture, health, energy, and water. The
Southern Voice and the European Think Tanks Group (ETTG) proudly present our new policy brief, “Harvesting Change: Global South Policy Proposals for FAO.“ Food systems in the Global South face numerous challenges when it comes to providing sufficient, affordable, and healthy food for all. The policy brief focuses on the
A year after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the conflict taking a center stage in the EU’s focus, Africa has felt the consequences of the war, while continuing to face wider existing challenges. This article looks further into the implications of the war against Ukraine for the Africa-Europe relationship.
This report addresses the state of Africa-Europe relations, almost one year after the 6th AU-EU Summit, providing a number of policy recommendations to African and European decision makers in four key areas of cooperation : climate change and fair energy transition; food security; peace, security and participatory governance; and development finance.
Geert Laporte, ETTG Director, was invited as a speaker during the Brussels launch of the Human Development Report 2021/22 “Uncertain Times, Unsettled Lives: Shaping our future in a transforming world”.
The European Think Tanks Group (ETTG) with the support of the Regional Bureau Africa (RBA) of UNDP undertook practical analyses on the combined impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine on Africa and on the Africa-Europe partnership. These analyses served as an input in a major event organised in Brussels on November 30 and on December 1, 2022.
EU-Africa relations have hardly followed a linear path, but the events of the past two years – namely, Covid-19 and the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine – seemingly put it under additional strain, allowing age-old grievances to come back in full force.
What is the impact of the war in Ukraine on Africa – Europe migration dialogue? Read our new ETTG collective blog
This policy brief analyses policy convergence and divergence between Europe and Africa in the field of climate and energy and identifies areas for further policy debate beyond COP27. Specifically, it examines cooperation efforts and challenges in two areas: hydrogen and JETPs.
Food insecurity had been worsening significantly in Africa even before Russia´s invasion of Ukraine. Climate shocks, the COVID-19 pandemic and regional conflicts were disrupting food production and distribution resulting in rising costs for agricultural commodities on the continent. The war in Ukraine exacerbated the situation, pushing food and fertiliser prices even higher.
To which extent the framework and initiatives for EUAfrica relations are still fit for purpose, in particular in terms of mobilisation of resources for Africa’s resilience and sustainable
development, or must be adapted to better respond to the new era of poly-crises?
The EU-Africa partnership has ebbed and flowed over the years, with the period since 2020 being particularly dynamic. With the Covid-19 pandemic, the response to the war in Ukraine and the subsequent energy crisis in Europe, cleavages have been unearthed in the partnership.
Three concurrent crises — climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic and the conflict in Ukraine — have combined to worsen food insecurity and malnutrition around the globe. Extreme climate events are becoming more frequent and severe, magnifying the already higher food prices caused by agricultural supply chain disruptions precipitated first by the pandemic and now by geopolitical turbulence. The Rome Based Agencies are called to provide concrete and effective responses to these multi-crises. This report is the result of an Open Consultation Forum organised with IFAD running candidates in June 2022.
In this policy brief, we analyse the direct effects and implications of the war in Ukraine on energy security, industrial supply chains, food security and environmental protection in the EU and in developing countries.
With the increasing reliance on development finance to mobilise resources and catalyse private sector initiatives and finance at scale for greater sustainable development impact, a parallel impetus has emerged to foster more coherence and synergy among development actors. The European Union (EU) is at the forefront of this endeavour. Collectively
The report builds on the result of the European Think Tanks Group (ETTG) and the Elcano Royal Institute cooperation, with the support of the Spanish State Secretariat for International Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation.
The Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI) partnered with the Southern Voice and the European Think Tanks Group (ETTG), to organise a Public Consultation Forum with IFAD running candidates. The overall aim of the event was to bring transparency and accountability to the selection processes of IFAD leadership, by encouraging candidates’ dialogue with representatives of the civil society and major stakeholders from both the Global North and South.
UN Public Service Day has been observed on June 23 since 2002. On this day we celebrate the value of public service and the important contribution of efficient, accountable and effective public administration for achieving global development goals.
This commentary provides an overview of key takeaways and the aspects to keep in mind for the way forward after the first European Humanitarian Forum which took place in March 2022.
The 6th EU-AU summit, held in Brussels on 17-18 February 2022, marked an important milestone
in the relationship between the European Union (EU) and the African Union (AU). After almost a
year and a half of delay, the summit provided leaders of both European and African countries
an opportunity to negotiate on a series of key topics that will shape the future of their relations.
Additionally, the summit provided a further opening for the regional bodies and their member
states to move away from an asymmetrical top-down relationship to a more vertical partnership
in which both sides negotiate deals based on sound analysis, trust and mutual respect.
Our ETTG Coordinator Daniele Fattibene has published an IAI paper on how the Think20 (T20) can support the G20 Development Working Group (DWG) to boost the G20 legitimacy on development cooperation worldwide. The paper, that benefited from the review of ETTG members like Geert Laporte and Niels Keijzer, addresses strengths and weaknesses of the G20 DWG, providing policy recommendations on how the DWG and T20 can feed better into each other’s policy agendas, increasing their chances to influence other G20 tracks on crucial development issues such as development finance, food security or the global climate agenda.
Online panel discussion in the aftermath of the EU-AU summit.
Innovation for the energy transition is given a prominent role in the green recovery action plan for Africa and the European Union’s Green Deal, with both continents seeking the transformation of their economies to tackle both climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic impacts while improving wellbeing of the population. There are many points of overlap between the two continents’ official agendas. But there are also many open questions and potential tensions especially around: access to energy for sustainable and inclusive industrial development; maintaining competitive value chain; addressing trade barriers; promoting knowledge transfer while protecting intellectual property rights; using gas, and promoting hydrogen. If well-managed, innovation for the energy transition can act as catalyst for a shared prosperity for the two continents. This blogpost was written by the members of the Ukama Platform’s steering committee ahead of the European Union-Africa Union Summit.
This report is the outcome of a partnership initiative launched in 2021 by the European Think Tanks Group (ETTG) and the Africa-based Institute for Security Studies (ISS) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Our initiative seeks to advance Africa-Europe relations in the run up to the 6th EU-AU summit in
European Think Tanks Group (ETTG), the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) joined forces to analyse divergences and seek consensus between the AU and the EU on key issues in the partnership. Drawing on roundtable discussions with experts from Africa and Europe, the group produced a series of policy briefs with proposals to strengthen the partnership between Africa and the EU on green transformation and climate change; economic development and trade; and participatory governance, peace and security. The briefs draw on contributions from more than 70 leading African and European independent experts, knowledge centres and think tanks that contributed reflections and suggested concrete policy recommendations.
This report is the outcome of a partnership initiative launched in 2021 by the European Think Tanks Group (ETTG) and the Africa-based Institute for Security Studies (ISS), with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Our initiative seeks to advance Africa-Europe relations in the run up to the
Summits are an inevitable part of the international relations game. But each and every time they end up in disappointments because expectations were too high or longstanding frustrations and irritants on both sides were not openly addressed. To break with this pattern, the partnership should move from an asymmetrical top-down relationship to a more horizontal partnership where both parties negotiate deals on the basis of trust and mutual respect.
This brief identifies some of the shared priorities between Africa and the European Union (EU) as well as challenges in their partnership as it currently stands. It also suggests concrete ways forward to strengthen the economic development and trade agenda of the AU-EU cooperation and gives policy recommendations towards a more effective partnership.
In a context of existential transnational challenges and growing inter-state rivalries, we need well-financed, universal multilateralism that can set global rules and norms, drive forward action, and sidestep the tendency for money and military might to buy global influence. The WHO Executive Board now has an opportunity not only to reinvigorate its own organisation, but also to advance a discussion on how the entire UN system can be placed on a stronger, more financially sustainable footing. Passing up this moment out of fear of the implications for member state fiscal obligations to the wider UN system would be both unfortunate and short-sighted.
Rejection of the jab from parts of the population remains a challenge for achieving increased immunisation coverage and, consequently, the end of the pandemic. Because vaccine hesitancy is largely driven by lack of trust in governments, rebuilding trust in governments is essential for a successful global vaccination campaign. Trust is an essential attribute of social cohesion and socially cohesive societies are more resilient during crisis. The current one is certainly not the last we will face.
We are pleased to release our new ETTG brochure that provides you with more information about the work of our network in the field of EU international cooperation and global sustainable development.
2022 is set to be dominated by three global tasks: (a) the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, (b) the climate-stabilising redesign of our economic and social systems, and (c) the negotiation of a multi-polar and rule-based world order.
Geopolitics has an important role to play in securing the health of both people and planet. Indeed, businesses cannot be asked to govern the planet’s health if some of the most polluting countries in the world are not on board. Successful governance of planetary health depends on geopolitics and cross border implementation. It also demands that special attention be paid to the interlinkages between businesses, environmental justice and inequalities. All of these are crucial to advance the universal right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment.
Elcano and ETTG have published the report on the rise of public development banks in the European financial architecture for development which shows how PDBs are critical in promoting resilience to shocks (financial, economic, pandemic, climate, etc.), stabilise the economy and foster a more rapid long-lasting recovery. The report also stresses the importance of medium- and long-term finance for development that can help building markets and promoting economic transformation in a sustainable, green, inclusive and gender-sensitive manner.
In spite of all the anger and frustration that was palpable especially during the final iterations of the Glasgow cover decision, it would be too bleak to consider COP26 as a mere waste of time and effort. Much rather, the Glasgow package delivered a hefty lump for all Parties to chew on. As of now, it remains hard to tell how palatable individual Parties will find their haggis once they take it to their domestic tables. But if they now act even upon the half-hearted words of the Glasgow Climate Pact, the implementation of the Paris Agreement could finally gain traction. Ultimately, the proof of the haggis will be in the eating.
Africa is a missing piece of the ‘Global Britain’ jigsaw, one that needs to be put in place. And it is a continent where Britain needs to work not only with African countries but with European ones too. This requires a more positive relationship with both.
The covid-19 pandemic has generated severe health, economic and debt crises for the least developed countries (LDCs). On the one hand, they cannot mobilise sufficient financial resources on their own to cope with the effects of the pandemic because their public revenues are too low and external finance is not always available. On the other hand, many LDCs have been highly indebted, even prior to the crisis.
Five years after the Paris Climate Agreement entered into force and one year after the COVID-enforced hiatus, the 26th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (“COP26”) will convene in the Scottish city of Glasgow on 31 October. At long last! Amongst its most important tasks will be advancing the implementation of the Paris Agreement by resolving the remaining issues surrounding its rules for implementation.
This synthesis note presents one-page overviews of the main findings and recommendations in relation to the five themes, which are discussed in greater detail in the policy briefs that have been published during the past months. A link to the full policy brief is included at the end of each one-pager. These thematic overviews are preceded by a short analysis of the relationship between Africa and Europe and five proposals for strengthening the continent-to-continent dialogue on sustainable development.
The COVID-19 crisis has created a dire need for the active facilitation of sustainable investment to promote an inclusive, gender-sensitive and green recovery. The partnership between the European Union (EU) and the African Union (AU), and their respective member states, can provide a strategic and institutional framework for stimulating sustainable investment in a collective manner.
A series of high-profile events has added up to making 2021 a crucial year to tackle the global sustainable development agenda and present a unique opportunity to drive a virtuous circle of political commitment, regulation, and financial flows towards sustainable recovery in developing countries, which is a key issue of this year’s G20 cycle. Bringing the voice of developing countries in the global multilateral agenda is not easy to tackle due to different and often competing political priorities. This blog draws lessons from the Italian G20 Presidency to inform the development policy considerations and efforts of the upcoming Indonesian, Indian and Brazilian G20 Presidencies. These Presidencies have a great potential to prioritize sustainable recovery in the Global South in their own, as well as in cooperation with the G7 and EU Presidencies when appropriate.
Europe and Africa should make joint efforts to invest in projects that would support digital sovereignty on both continents, including joint industrial projects – in the area of ethical AI and open-source technologies for instance. This would respond to some of the gaps in terms of local digital industries on both continents as well as to local needs, and would demonstrate that the EU-AU digital partnership is not simply about trying to export European technologies or about aid, but about reinforcing a free and open internet.
The present study is the product of the European Think Tanks Group (ETTG) collaboration aiming both to propose a definition of SDG alignment and to provide concrete principles to further operationalise and promote such alignment in practice.
This ODI briefing explores how the diverging fortunes across countries have come to pass and the limitations of the multilateral initiatives intended to support a global response. It focuses especially on the multilateral financing measures that have been put in place to combat the crisis and looks at some of the changes that would be required to support a more effective response in future.
A recent IAI study has argued that several shortcomings in the climate and development finance systems undermine the capacity of countries in the Global South to tackle climate change¹. Insufficient resources, lack of focus on adaptation, inadequate management of climate risks, the vicious circle between indebtedness and climate vulnerability are some of the major obstacles.
Will Germany’s next federal government take UN’s proposal for launching a new phase of global common good promotion as an opportunity to increase the strategic value and coherence of German UN policy? How will be Germany’s post COVID-19 contribution to the multilateral world?
This blog is presenting an interesting combination of ‘’the three Cs” – Culture, Climate and Conflict – at the forefront of the EU’s diplomacy. The question however arises namely how much can the EU afford to prioritise such complex “value driven” policy agendas in a rapidly changing world with more competition and uncertainty?
“Restore Our Earth!” was the theme and rallying cry for this year’s Earth Day on 22 April. This is not something that could be achieved on a single day. Yet, Earth Day 2021 might signal a greater turning of the tide as the world enters the “Green Twenties.”
The European Union (EU) and the African Union (AU) maintain a long-standing partnership on peace and security which can be qualified as constructive. It is largely based on joint interests and objectives and is less contentious compared to other more challenging topics, such as migration and trade. The EU’s new seven-year budget for 2021 – 2027 introduces new ways of working which impact on how the EU will engage on peace and security in Africa. Most notable in this regard is the establishment of the European Peace Facility (EPF) which can potentially undermine the AU’s role in leading and coordinating peace and security measures on the continent. Moreover, these new developments take place against the backdrop of an overall troubled EU-AU relationship which suffers not only from the divergences in interests in key areas such as migration, trade and climate but also from the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, and global geopolitics.
Multilateralism has been in trouble for a while, particularly at the global level. Yet, the European Union (EU) and its member states have remained among its staunchest supporters.In their June 2019 Council Conclusions, EU leaders drew the outlines of a common European vision to uphold, extend and reform the multilateral system. Against an increasingly complex and contested geopolitical backdrop, these goals were further developed in the recent EU Communication on Multilateralism, published in February 2021.
Italy holds the G20 presidency at a crucial moment when the world is confronted with the worst global pandemic in the past century. The economic and social consequences of the COVID-19 crisis has had major impact on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda.
The Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) represents a fundamental reform for the European Union (EU)’s development policy, its neighbourhood policy and its external action more broadly. The new instrument will be implemented in a rapidly changing geopolitical context and will have to respond to unprecedented challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The European Commission DG NEAR and the office of the High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy released a new policy statement (‘Communication’) ‘Renewed Partnership with the Southern Neighbourhood: A New Agenda for the Mediterranean’ on 9 February 2021. The Communication was accompanied by a staff working document ‘Renewed Partnership with the Southern Neighbourhood Economic and Investment Plan for the Southern Neighbours’. The priorities outlined in the Communication and the investment Plan are to be concretised during 2021 as the new ‘Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI), which will finance the EU’s international cooperation, is programmed during 2021.
The adoption of the EU’s Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF) 2021-2027 will bring profound changes to the set-up of the EU’s instruments for crisis prevention, conflict management and peacebuilding in fragile and conflict-affected countries, which aim to improve the EU’s ability to engage in these contexts. However, reforming the EU’s financial instruments alone is not sufficient to address key underlying challenges. What is needed is an overarching strategic framework that puts policy coherence for sustainable peace at the centre of EU crisis prevention, conflict management and peacebuilding.
It is vital for the EU-AU partnership to improve digital infrastructure development in Africa, particularly expanding fixed broadband coverage and access, as well as to improve African firms and consumers’ access to e-commerce platforms and provide targeted support for digital transformation in key sectors such as agriculture.
As European Think Tanks we proposed the conference event because we would like to encourage discussions around the importance of aligning both policies and finance with the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs to chart a course towards inclusive, equitable and low carbon development.
In this commentary Pauline Veron shares her takeaways from a recent high level DIE-ECDPM webinar event, with some key lessons for health cooperation between West Africa and the EU.
Brussels, Bonn, Maastricht, Paris, Rome, London and Madrid are sending a message of cooperation and vision for the future.
In this video we present you our network of think tanks and we introduce you to the ETTG world. By joining forces we are convinced that we can better influence the EU’s international cooperation agendas and work for a more sustainable future together.
The ETTG/ECDPM MFF online workshop event “Programming the NDICI in a post-Covid era” was a discussion exchange between representatives from the EU institutions and civil society / think tanks in order to take stock of the progress made on MFF negotiations and further discussion for the current state of play together with the next steps.
