European Parliament elections are getting closer, and CONCORD’s EU for Global Justice campaign is in full swing. This week, we brought MEPs and civil society together for our online debate, ‘Putting your money where your mouth is: consistent action and funding for sustainable development.’ This was the second in a series of debates CONCORD is organising in the run-up to the elections in June.
The debate was moderated by CONCORD’s board member, Javier García de la Oliva. The panel included the following esteemed speakers:
- Mónica Silvana González, Member of the European Parliament (S&D);
- Erik Marquardt, Member of the European Parliament (Greens/EFA);
- Dr Lesley Ann Foster, Executive Director, Masimanyane Women’s Rights International;
- Robin Roels, EU Raw Materials Coalition Coordinator.
You can watch the full debate below:
Javier García de la Oliva kicked off the debate by posing pertinent questions to the panellists: To what extent does the EU give and take in its relationship with partner countries? How much does the EU contribute to sustainable development in its international cooperation?
Dr Lesley Ann Foster began, stating that the EU’s contribution to development is backtracking, and although African countries are endeavouring to implement the SDGs internally, this is a challenge in a capitalist system which is based on inequality. She finished by calling on the EU to reinforce its commitment to a just system that benefits all, because as things stand now, Africa will not be able to eradicate poverty by 2030.
Robin Roels reflected on the challenges linked to EU projects to source strategic and critical raw materials from partner countries. He outlined that transparency, involvement of CSOs and clarity around financing are all lacking in these projects. He stated that while the EU claims to support sustainable development, it does not allow partner countries to move up the supply chain in the provisioning of strategic raw materials or gain added value from the projects.
Mónica Silvana González continued, proposing that development cooperation should be a tool to help small producers in partner countries. She too focused on the sourcing of critical raw materials, warning that this process risks repeating colonial patterns of extractivism, but adding that the Corporate Sustainable Due Diligence Directive is a source of hope.
Erik Marquardt then took the floor. Speaking specifically about EU ODA, he remarked that although EU and Member States represent the biggest donor of ODA, there are problems with the figures as they include in-donor refugee costs and spending on Global Gateway. Furthermore, there is a lack of involvement of CSOs and NGOs in ODA allocation.
The debate was dynamic and featured a diverse range of perspectives on consistent action and funding for sustainable development. At times, the discussion was less-than-hopeful about the state of the EU’s international cooperation, but we also heard some optimistic sentiments with regard to the upcoming elections and the renewed institutions. Among these were the reflections that EU values are a strength rather than a weakness and that support for the SDG agenda will prevail.
Although the elections have the potential to re-shape the Parliament for the worse, we must not lose hope. Civil society both internal and external to the EU – along with our MEP allies – must continue to use our collective voice to hold the EU to account for its funding decisions and the coherency of its policies which impact the Global South. CONCORD will continue to call on candidates to endorse our messages and do their part in creating an EU for Global Justice!