One of the most effective ways to achieve international development and poverty reduction is policy coherence. EU policy should no longer negatively affect developing countries. However, the EU has not been successful in giving the idea enough weight within the European Commission. Therefore, we need a new commissioner with real teeth. A commissioner for International Cooperation, who would coordinate the different files on foreign policy and protect the coherence of development policy. This commissioner could even promote policy coherence within global partnerships in order to fight worldwide issues.

Developments in the Middle East and the food crisis show that Europe can no longer remain divided in taking action. I suggest that the Commission, with the onset of its new mandate, contain considerably less EU commissioners and considerably more influence. It needs a commissioner for International Cooperation with full responsibility for trade, development, humanitarian aid and foreign affairs. Only if one person coordinates all these areas can long-term solutions and fair trade become a reality. Moreover, this commissioner would not have to worry about national interests and electoral expectations. The common foreign policy would be able to guarantee a coherent development policy.

Policy-test

European policy should not affect the development prospects of poor countries. At the moment, the EU protects and subsidizes its own agricultural production, which excludes farmers in developing countries from our markets. Big companies buy agricultural land on a large scale, which restricts local people’s access to food. Countries worldwide are trying to secure access to raw materials in African countries, without paying attention to local circumstances. Financial institutions are speculating on agricultural derivatives, which has a considerable impact on food prices. There will be no genuine possibility for sustainable development and poverty reduction, which are goals set by the EU,  if we don’t stop these kinds of strategies. The question must be: is the policy “development-proof”? Thereafter, this can be propagated within the WTO, the World Bank, and above all China. The commissioner for International Cooperation could ensure that the EU is no longer negotiating bilateral agreements but working on a new global partnership.

Global approach

The growing world population increases pressure on food security, the use of fossil fuels, global warming and the demand for raw materials and water. These are issues in which the position of developing countries is increasingly important. We must address them worldwide. Therefore, it requires a new partnership in which regions, not countries, are represented. In a world of interdependence, the interests of individual states become less important and coherence of policy will be easier effectuated on a regional level. In times of recession and budget cuts, we should look for ways to improve international development without opening debates on budgets. Just imagine how much money can be saved if rich countries would be serious about policy coherence and fair trade.

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