The European Union (EU) is the largest public financier for international cooperation aimed at development. In 2016, the EU provided approximately 75 billion euros of Official Development Assistance (ODA), which represents about 0.51% of the EU's combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This exceeds the average of countries in the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) and plays a crucial role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agreed upon by the United Nations General Assembly in September 2015.
However, there is still a perception that the EU does not meet the demands of global challenges outlined in the 17 SDGs. This is mainly due to the variability in member states' contributions: five countries surpass the 0.7% GDP target for ODA (Luxembourg, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, and the UK), while others barely reach 0.1%. Some EU nations rank among the top five donors globally, but others perform closer to some non-governmental organizations. Moreover, while some have maintained or increased their contributions, others have significantly decreased them, particularly due to economic crises.
Quantitative disparity also reflects in diverse content and concrete policies. For the EU to truly lead the 2030 Agenda, all member states should consistently fulfill their international commitments. The principle of coherence, coordination, and complementarity in the Development Agenda has been mandated since 1992, but achieving this has proven challenging, requiring years of effort and numerous documents with limited outcomes.
The newly adopted European Development Consensus (EDC) aims to address these issues by ensuring synchronization between the EU's Development Policy and the SDGs, contributing to the EU's global foreign policy strategy. While the previous European Development Consensus (2005) sought similar goals, the recent document offers new approaches and strategies to achieve success. Key to optimism is the experience gained from previous attempts and the alignment facilitated by the shared framework of the SDGs. However, to lead effectively, the EU needs more than just guidelines and strategies; it requires institutions with explicit mandates to ensure implementation and translate political commitments into tangible and transparent obligations.
To demonstrate leadership, the EU must fulfill its commitment to reach 0.7% of GDP for ODA by 2020, as promised under the Millennium Development Goals agenda. Political commitments must be backed by resources, and the European Commission only has access to 15% of the EU's total ODA, necessitating member state support. The UK's exit from the EU through Brexit will impact quantitative contributions, as well as the loss of a significant agency, DFID.
Moreover, the EU should lead in climate change efforts, promoting clean energy use and emission reduction, aligning with global commitments and contributing to the SDGs and Rio+20 agreements both domestically and in assisting less-resourced countries. Leadership also entails moral consistency, demonstrated through consistent discourse and principles in practice. The EU's influence in international development agendas relies on coherent policies, as highlighted in the new consensus. However, the EU's incoherence in handling the refugee crisis undermines its moral leadership in development agendas. If the new consensus cannot resolve these inconsistencies, it might improve policy efficiency but fail to lead the global development agenda.
