There is much to welcome in the EU’s Green Paper on EU development policy. The emphasis on the relative importance of growth in promoting development is particularly important. ODI’s submission focuses on the growth section of the Green Paper.

Nevertheless, growth in itself does not drive a new development policy or even a ‘modernised’ European Consensus on Development. The issues are much wider, touching on all the other topics mentioned in the Green Paper, as well as many others. The Green Paper is ambivalent about whether it is really a paper on growth, or the launch of a wider review. It does not sufficiently address future challenges and global trends, or current policies which have an important impact on development policy. Simon Maxwell, ODI’s Senior Research Associate and Project Leader of the European Development Cooperation Strengthening Programme (EDCSP) sets out the challenges for the European Commission in designing the EU’s development policy as set out in the Green Paper.