In 2010, Europe’s leading development policy think-tanks – the German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE), the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), Fundación para las Relaciones Internacionales y el Diálogo Exterior (FRIDE) and the European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM) – joined forces to create the 'European Think-Tanks Group'.
Researchers from the Group's four partner institutes have just published a joint briefing paper 'The EU's Multi-Annual Financial Framework Post-2013: Options for EU Development Cooperation'.
As negotiations around Europe’s post-2013 multi-annual financial framework (MFF) begin, there are major questions around the comparative advantage of a Europe-wide approach to development assistance, and the role of the EU in the future global aid architecture. What should this aid be for? How should it be managed? How can European aid adapt to a development landscape that is going through such rapid change, and address current and emerging global challenges?
This paper reviews this landscape, sets out options and proposes a set of recommendations on:
- rethinking priorities and assistance towards MICs and emerging economies;
- ensuring enough flexibility to respond to unforeseen needs;
- dealing with climate finance;
- ensuring adequate long-term funding to strengthen security and development linkages;
- budgetising or maintaining a separate European Development Fund.
