Coordination SUD, the French national platform regrouping 176 organisations working for international solidarity, is committed to putting international solidarity at the forefront of the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union, during the first semester 2022.
For France, this presidency is also a real opportunity to lead on issues of international solidarity at the European level and thus contribute, at least in this dimension, to revive the European project in the eyes of its citizens.
France is holding the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, from January to June 2022. This institution brings together the ministers of the Member States of the European Union (EU) around key themes (e.g., foreign affairs, environment, budget) and shares the legislative power with the European Parliament. This presidency should allow the French government to advance its European vision and raise some of its priorities on the agenda of the European institutions. It also means that France will organize several high-level European meetings, including two summits of importance for international solidarity:
- The European Humanitarian Forum, initially scheduled for Brussels from January 24 to 26, 2022, now postponed to an unspecified later date.
- The Summit between the African Union and the European Union, scheduled for Brussels on February 17 and 18, 2022, as well as the Civil Society Forum scheduled for February 15 ahead of the summit.
The French Presidency will also oversee the organization of meetings of the Council, including foreign affairs council. An informal meeting of development ministers (foreign affairs council) is scheduled for Montpellier on March 6 and 7, 2022.
This presidency represents a real opportunity for the French civil society and more generally for global civil societies, to put international solidarity, its challenges, and priorities at the heart of the European project and in the agenda of European institutions.
Therefore, Coordination SUD and its 176 member organisations will organise and participate in various activities to raise awareness around European issues of international solidarity, within this European project carried out in consortium with CONCORD Sweden, FoRS and CONCORD Europe. These activities aim to strengthen the skills and knowledge of civil society actors on European issues, in France, in Europe and beyond. They will empower civil societies, particularly international solidarity organisations, to act on European issues and to influence EU’s public policies.
Beyond “revival, power and belonging”, the three key words of the French presidency […], these concepts can rhyme with equitable partnerships, gender equality, agro-ecology or even the protection of human rights, and particularly with international solidarity.
9 priorities for a French Presidency of the Council of the EU: In parallel with this European project, the Europe working group of Coordination SUD has organized a wide consultation of the member organization before the start of the French Presidency. This consultation led to the adoption of nine priorities, synthesized in a single document. These priorities reflect the key issues of the sector of international solidarity and aim to guide the French government towards a Presidency in favour of international solidarity and an open, fair, and sustainable Europe in the world. These priorities include:
- To strengthen national health systems, and improve access to medical supplies (incl. vaccines);
- To strengthen food systems, and promote agroecology;
- To strengthen policy coherence for sustainable development;
- To increase civil society’s participation into the decision-making and programming process for ODA 1 ;
- To protect humanitarian and development organizations workspace and staff;
- To develop a new partnership with Africa, with the involvement of civil societies, based on national priorities of African countries, recognizing the role played by youth in sustainable development, with increased funding.
Timeline of events planned by Coordination SUD around the French Presidency:
January 13, 2022: Launch workshop of the French presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Exchange between Coordination SUD and its members with the French
Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The event aimed to present Coordination SUD priorities, and the
Government’s programme for international solidarity.
Mid-January 2022: Launch of a call for proposals to fund awareness raising projects.
This call for proposals aims to fund 4 awareness-raising projects around the EU’s role in international solidarity, during the French presidency of the Council of the European Union.
POSTPONED February 10-11, 2022: Meeting of African and European civil societies for a fair and sustainable Africa-EU partnership.
This meeting in Paris aimed to gather European and African civil society organization to prepare the AU-EU Summit by building common propositions for the partnership.
UPDATE: The meeting is postponed. It will take place after the Summit to allow African and European CSOs to react to the Summit and to prepare further common actions.
March 15, 2022: Debate between candidate for the presidential race on the theme "the European Union and international solidarity".
The debate will be the opportunity for candidates to present their programme in favour of international solidarity. These proposals will be challenged and discussed during debates and roundtables with civil society organizations. The role played by the EU and civil society’s actors working for international solidarity will he highlight.
April 5, 2022: Advocacy workshop on how to better engage on EU policies.
Targeting advocacy officers from civil society organizations, this workshop will aim to strengthen their skills through peer-to-peer exchanges, and support from advocacy experts.
May 9, 2022: Europe Day.
Meetings and discussions on the role of civil societies within the EU, and the support of the EU to civil societies in the context of international solidarity.
May 17, 2022: Workshop on strategic partnerships.
Contribution to a study on the notion of strategic partnerships, in the continuity of the work carried out on the Africa-EU partnership and the notion of openness and equity.
June 25: Meeting around sustainable development goals.
Closing event of the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union around sustainable development goals and their place in European public policies.
July 15: Workshop on awareness-raising and education projects.
This workshop will bring together organizations funding through the January call for proposals, and other civil society organizations. They will present the results and the lessons learned during the implementations of their project.
Ressources:
- Position note “For a French Presidency of the Council of the European Union favourable to international solidarity” (French)
- Summary presentation of the project “Towards an open, fair and sustainable Europe in the world” (French)