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CONCORD Europe

CONCORD Europe is the European confederation of development and international cooperation NGOs, representing over 2,600 organizations across Europe.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Hildegard Bentele (Member of the European Parliament)

14 Jan 2026 · GEI

Meeting with Abir Al-Sahlani (Member of the European Parliament) and International Rescue Committee Inc and The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation

21 Nov 2025 · Prioriteringar för EUs biståndspolitik

Meeting with Evin Incir (Member of the European Parliament)

16 Oct 2025 · Women´s rights in the EU and the World

Meeting with Chloé Ridel (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

13 Oct 2025 · Global Gateway

Meeting with Hildegard Bentele (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

6 Oct 2025 · Global Gateway Strategy

Meeting with Lukas Holub (Head of Unit Budget)

24 Sept 2025 · Global Europe proposal between CONCORD Europe and the Commission

Meeting with Hildegard Bentele (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

22 Sept 2025 · Global Gateway

Response to EU Civil Society Strategy

3 Sept 2025

Civil society organisations (CSOs) play a vital role in promoting democracy, social justice, gender equality, human rights, and sustainable development across the world and within the EU. They inform policy-making, develop community-based solutions, provide essential services, and defend the rights of marginalised populations. Their independent role is key to democratic resilience and inclusive governance. Yet, civil society is facing growing restrictions. Globally, and increasingly within the EU, civic space is shrinking. CSOs are confronted with restrictive laws, funding cuts, smear campaigns, digital surveillance, and threats which undermine their independence and legitimacy. The impact of funding reductions from actors like USAID and declining ODA from EU Member States is already forcing organisations to reduce or cease critical work and is affecting the civil society ecosystem in the sector of international cooperation, particularly local CSOs in EU partner countries. CONCORD welcomes the European Commissions plan to develop an EU Civil Society Strategy. This is a crucial opportunity to address civic space challenges through a coherent, coordinated, and well-resourced approach, recognising the interdependence between the EUs internal and external policies. The key initiatives CONCORD would like to put forward to the European Commission for the Civil Society Strategy include: 1. Continue specific measures to protect civic space globally, by reinforcing the EU System for Enabling Environment, safeguarding and strengthening the Civil Society roadmaps, and renewing and adequately funding the Human Rights and Democracy Action Plan. 2. Adopt concrete measures that enable direct, inclusive, and flexible support to civil society under the next MFF, by maintaining and expanding funding programmes and modalities that support a diverse, independent and resilient civil society ecosystem, revising the EU Financial Regulation to adapt CSO funding mechanisms to new initiatives (Team Europe and Global Gateway), reinstating clear spending targets, and developing more tailored, accessible, and inclusive funding mechanisms to match the needs of smaller and grassroots actors. 3. Be unequivocal about the EUs support to civil society and its work, by using the full EU toolbox to counter restrictive legislation, support enabling legal frameworks, and denounce human rights violations, explicitly including advocacy activities as a legitimate use of EU funding, integrating civic space protection into political dialogues with partner countries, developing strategies with CSOs to counter disinformation and anti-democratic narratives, and carrying out systematic civic space impact assessment across all legislative and regulatory proposals to ensure that all EU policies support rather than restrict civic space. 4. Promote meaningful, inclusive CSO engagement, by strengthening structured engagement with CSOs in external action across all levels and policy areas, including in the programming of Global Gateway and external instruments. Local CSOs, womens rights groups, and organisations representing marginalised communities must be proactively included. 5. Support the engagement of local CSOs at EU delegation, regional and global level, by continuing the work started with civil society to create dialogue mechanisms in the EUs bi-regional partnerships (e.g. EU-AU, EU-CELAC), and creating support programmes for local CSOs participation in global fora. In the face of global trends of shrinking civic space and attacks on democratic values, the EU has a unique opportunity to reinforce its global leadership and credibility by protecting civic space, supporting civil society as a key partner, and investing in inclusive, democratic and sustainable societies.
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Response to Mid-Term Review: Social Economy Action Plan

16 Jul 2025

The social economy plays an important role also beyond Europe. It is estimated that there are three million cooperatives worldwide, employing 9.46% of the world's workforce. The Social Economy Action Plan includes an international dimension, which the European Parliament resolution of 6th July 2022 called on the Commission and the EEAS to implement ambitiously: "promote the social economy internationally and to increase the visibility of the sector in the external dimension of Union policies, inter alia, by acknowledging and including its specific nature in future association agreements and providing information and training on social economy to EU delegation staff, and by assessing how such actions can contribute to the development of the social economy in third countries". Despite the SEAP commitments and the European Parliament's call, there is no evidence that the plan is being implemented by DG INTPA's units in charge of the private sector (directorate E) or through the EU's external action overall, nor as part of Global Gateway implementation. In an answer to a question from a Member of the European Parliament on 14th July 2023, the Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights expressed commitment to the international dimension as part of the SEAP, and explained that "supporting the development of social and inclusive business models in EU partner countries directly relates to the creation of quality and decent jobs and is one of dimensions of Global Gateway initiative". Yet, to this day the social economy remains outside the scope of Global Gateway flagships, and traditional businesses are clearly prioritised. For the SEAP to deliver systemic change also beyond the EU's borders in the second implementation period, in line with the EU's commitments, the European Commission must ensure continued, regular and meaningful collaboration between DG EMPL and DG INTPA on social economy; involve DG INTPA in the Commission Expert Group on Social Economy and Social Enterprises (GECES), as well as partner country representatives (governments, social economy entities and CSOs) in conversations that concern them; embed the support for social economy actors in Global Europe; ensure coherence with the 2030 Agenda by mainstreaming social economy support across thematic and regional strategies in the EU's international partnerships; contribute to the localisation of Official Development Assistance (ODA) by empowering grassroots social and solidarity economy (SSE) actors in partner countries; allocate dedicated investment windows within Global Gateway for social economy enterprises; prioritise climate resilience, gender equality, decent work, and community ownership in external investments; collaborate with partner governments to support the development of conducive legal, tax, and procurement frameworks for the social economy; expand access to tailored, long-term and affordable financing for social economy actors in partner countries and address restrictive financial requirements (e.g., interest rates, repayment terms); invest in capacity-building, digitalisation, and peer-learning platforms between EU and partner country actors; launch and institutionalise policy dialogue mechanisms between the EU and partner countries to share best practices, tools and innovative solutions supporting the SSE; encourage the creation of multi-stakeholder platforms that include public authorities, SSE actors, and private sector representatives for peer exchange and collaboration; promote fair trade, ethical sourcing, and sustainable supply chains through trade and investment policies, including through the implementation of the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, supporting partner countries' efforts to implement responsible business practices.
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Meeting with Hana Genorio (Cabinet of Commissioner Jozef Síkela) and OXFAM INTERNATIONAL EU ADVOCACY OFFICE and

16 Jul 2025 · Exchange of views on Global Gateway and future priorities.

Meeting with Olga Panagopoulou (Cabinet of Commissioner Piotr Serafin)

26 Jun 2025 · Issues arising for NGOs from the implementation of the Commission Guidance on the funding of NGOs

Meeting with Jozef Síkela (Commissioner) and

18 Jun 2025 · Roundtable with key Global Gateway stakeholders on the next steps for business engagement

Meeting with Marit Maij (Member of the European Parliament) and OXFAM INTERNATIONAL EU ADVOCACY OFFICE and

14 May 2025 · Roundtable discussion on Financing for Development with MEP Charles Goerens and MEP Marit Maij

Meeting with Daniel Freund (Member of the European Parliament) and WWF European Policy Programme and Civil Society Europe

29 Apr 2025 · Steering Group Fundamental Rights

Meeting with Sirpa Pietikäinen (Member of the European Parliament)

24 Apr 2025 · Civil society and international cooperation

Meeting with Nina Carberry (Member of the European Parliament)

22 Apr 2025 · Humanitarian Aid

Meeting with Lukas Mandl (Member of the European Parliament)

10 Apr 2025 · EU development policy, humanitarian aid, Global Gateway

Meeting with Riccardo Rossi (Cabinet of Commissioner Jozef Síkela) and ActionAid and

7 Apr 2025 · Food security

Meeting with Hana Genorio (Cabinet of Commissioner Jozef Síkela), Lucie Šestáková (Cabinet of Commissioner Jozef Síkela)

20 Mar 2025 · Global Gateway

Meeting with Hana Genorio (Cabinet of Commissioner Jozef Síkela), Lucie Šestáková (Cabinet of Commissioner Jozef Síkela) and

20 Mar 2025 · Global Gateway

Meeting with Marlene Holzner (Head of Unit Directorate-General for International Partnerships) and OXFAM INTERNATIONAL EU ADVOCACY OFFICE and

20 Mar 2025 · Exchange of views on Global Gateway and the future priorities

Meeting with Marlene Holzner (Head of Unit Directorate-General for International Partnerships)

20 Mar 2025 · Exchange of views on on INTPA priorities and future Multiannual Financial Framework

Meeting with Daniel Freund (Member of the European Parliament) and European Environmental Bureau and

18 Feb 2025 · NGO funding & transparency

Meeting with Marit Maij (Member of the European Parliament) and Human Rights Watch and

18 Feb 2025 · Roundtable discussion on Financing for Development

Meeting with Leire Pajín (Member of the European Parliament)

30 Jan 2025 · EU developement policy

Meeting with Hanna Gedin (Member of the European Parliament)

20 Nov 2024 · Development aid

Meeting with Jonas Sjöstedt (Member of the European Parliament)

20 Nov 2024 · Human rights

Meeting with Abir Al-Sahlani (Member of the European Parliament)

20 Nov 2024 · EU:s biståndspolitik

Meeting with Marit Maij (Member of the European Parliament)

22 Oct 2024 · Launch event of 2024 AidWatch report

Meeting with Marit Maij (Member of the European Parliament)

11 Sept 2024 · Meeting and welcome reception CONCORD Europe

Meeting with Villy Søvndal (Member of the European Parliament) and European Peacebuilding Liaison Office

11 Sept 2024 · General point of information on development policy and reception

Meeting with Lukas Sieper (Member of the European Parliament)

11 Sept 2024 · Networking exchange

Meeting with Udo Bullmann (Member of the European Parliament)

25 Jul 2024 · Exchange of views on development

Meeting with Koen Doens (Director-General Directorate-General for International Partnerships)

12 Jun 2024 · The objective of the meeting was to discuss ideas for the International Partnership portfolio and in particular engagement with civil society

Meeting with Mónica Silvana González (Member of the European Parliament)

23 Jan 2024 · Development Cooperation

Meeting with Heidi Hautala (Member of the European Parliament)

24 Nov 2023 · Current EU issues

Meeting with Renaud Savignat (Cabinet of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen) and WWF European Policy Programme and

25 May 2023 · MMF review process

Meeting with Evin Incir (Member of the European Parliament)

13 Apr 2023 · Panelsamtal jämställdhet

Meeting with Koen Doens (Director-General Directorate-General for International Partnerships)

3 Mar 2023 · CSOs and EU priorities, partnerships and programming

Meeting with Jutta Urpilainen (Commissioner) and OXFAM INTERNATIONAL EU ADVOCACY OFFICE and

1 Dec 2022 · Speech at the 2nd GAP III Structured Dialogue with CSOs

Meeting with Jutta Urpilainen (Commissioner)

19 Oct 2022 · CSOs working in the field of international cooperation

Response to Developing social economy framework conditions

30 Sept 2022

The social economy already represents a tangible reality outside of the EU. For instance, it is estimated that cooperatives employ 9.46% of the world’s workforce. Their positive social and environmental impacts are widely demonstrated, including in the field of agriculture and food production, which at the moment is in high demand for local, sustainable solutions. These impacts are key to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals - and the EU should therefore aim at creating adequate conditions for the social economy to thrive both within and beyond its borders. 1) Enshrine a strong commitment to promoting social economy worldwide The European Parliament resolution of 6th July 2022 calls on the implementation of the Social Economy Action Plan to have a strong external dimension. Yet, that requires ambitious action beyond the limited scope of the external dimension it announces. A Council Conclusion on framework conditions is a timely opportunity for the EU to show it is a reliable and coherent international partner and lives up to its commitments by doing its part to create supportive conditions for Sustainable and Inclusive Businesses (SIBs) also beyond its borders. 2) Adequate regulatory frameworks and supportive policies are needed Challenges SIBs experience within and outside of the EU, and which a Council Recommendation can help tackle, include lack of awareness among EU and non-EU decision-makers and the general public; restrictive or inadequate policy, legal and regulatory frameworks, which can cause SIBs to be prohibited from operating in certain sectors or face legal barriers to entry; unlevel playing field, as SIBs’ high green and labour standards compete with the lower ones of mainstream companies; disadvantages in public procurement, in access to state aid and in tax benefits; prohibitive requirements in access to financial and technical support; difficulties for investments to scaling up activities, as SIBs often operate with lower profits; or stretched funds and capacity for learning and exchange opportunities and digitalisation. Through the Recommendation the EU needs to make commitments to design regulatory and policy environments that support the social economy to thrive. These should apply coherently across EU’s internal action and international partnerships, and translate into specific commitments in EU’s international cooperation instruments. These include ensuring SIBs are part of EU Delegations’ dialogues with the private sector; providing technical support to governments in partner countries to develop adequate legal and regulatory frameworks; providing access to finance to SIBs, including by encouraging development finance institutions (DFIs) to support them, especially through social and green bonds; bringing together high-level political and business representatives in exchanges between the EU and a given partner country; facilitating cross-border cooperation between SIBs; enabling SIBs in the EU to find sustainable and inclusive non-EU trading partners; including quantitative and qualitative indicators on the support provided by the EU to SIBs in the monitoring of the implementation of Global Europe, with involvement of civil society organisations. 3) Policy Coherence is key to allow the social economy to become the new mainstream As reminded by the European Parliament, promoting the social economy worldwide involves “acknowledging and including its specific nature in future association agreements”. Creating partnerships of equals with other regions is intimately linked with the EU’s trade and investment practices. These must be favourable for social economy actors in partner countries, as part of cross-continental collaboration to tackle the world's social and environmental challenges and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. This input is endorsed by the Fair Trade Advocacy Office.
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Meeting with Jutta Urpilainen (Commissioner) and Climate Action Network Europe and

5 Jul 2022 · xxx

Meeting with Renaud Savignat (Cabinet of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen) and Save the Children Europe and

29 Mar 2022 · Global Health

Meeting with Jutta Urpilainen (Commissioner) and Climate Action Network Europe and

15 Feb 2022 · Opening speech at the session of the Africa-Europe Week CSOs-LAs Forum

Meeting with Jutta Urpilainen (Commissioner) and Climate Action Network Europe and

1 Feb 2022 · Roundtable with CSO: Preparation of the AU-EU Summit and the Africa-Europe Week 2022

Meeting with Lora Borissova (Cabinet of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen), Renaud Savignat (Cabinet of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen)

18 Nov 2021 · EU-Africa Partnership

Meeting with Estelle Goeger (Cabinet of Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni)

31 Aug 2021 · SDGs

Meeting with Lora Borissova (Cabinet of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen), Renaud Savignat (Cabinet of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen), Sandra Bartelt (Cabinet of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen)

11 Jun 2021 · Update on the EU-Africa Summit and next steps on post-Cotonou agreement

Meeting with Jutta Urpilainen (Commissioner) and OXFAM INTERNATIONAL EU ADVOCACY OFFICE and

25 May 2021 · Roundtable on Human Development

Response to Social Economy Action Plan

26 Apr 2021

CONCORD welcomes the upcoming EU Action Plan for the Social Economy aiming to amplify the social economy potential in Europe and globally. It is crucial however to foster the social economy in all policies. The Action Plan should be seen as a part of the bigger transition towards an economy which puts people first and ensures well-being for all, within planetary boundaries. It should thus also strive to ensure future mainstream economic and business models follow in the social economy actors’ footsteps. The policy aims should reflect a two-pronged approach: the initiative should (1) help the social economy grow, and (2) challenge the current short-termist, competitive system whereby business executives are under constant pressure to increase shareholder dividends and cut costs to the point of causing human rights abuses and environmental exploitation and degradation. Driven not by profit maximisation, but by a social and environmental mission, they create, rather than capture, value. Directed through inclusive governance, they shift power to people who are often left out of business decisions affecting them. Defining social economy actors requires a strong focus on these structural characteristics. When making profit, it is what they do with their profit that sets them apart. They plough them back into the business, benefiting employees, the community and the environment. Education and awareness-raising should help build understanding of social economy values and principles. The Action Plan must include a strong and ambitious external dimension, applicable to all non-EU regions. The EU’s Africa Strategy hardly calls on the potential of the social economy. The 2014 Private Sector in Development Communication and 2017 European Consensus on Development are more supportive of the social economy in partner countries. Yet a genuine recognition of the potential of sustainable and inclusive business models (SIBMs) as well as a tailor-made approach to support them is urgently required. With the postponement of the EU-AU Summit and Business Summit to 2022, this can be corrected. The 2021 ACP-EU Agreement and 2021-2027 Global Europe Instrument might also provide for better bases. The Action Plan should encourage a strategic EU external action approach, diversifying private sector actors and recognising the impact SIBMs have in empowering local communities and marginalised groups in the long run, strengthening the social economy in EU partner countries to provide decent jobs and reduce inequalities, but also providing support through trade, investment and economic diplomacy policies and programmes. It should pay attention to how EU SIBMs can help achieve the SDGs globally through their partnerships with like-minded non-EU enterprises. The Action Plan should clarify the regulatory and institutional body of a social economy enterprise, as they operate financially like non-profits, applying for grants and depending on project-based financing often minimising their operational stability, yet, as registered private companies, are expected to follow the regulations and rules as profit-making companies; improve social economy access to various tailored public and private finance sources, across the EU and in EU partner countries; support Member States, local authorities, operators but also partner governments in building enabling eco-systems and legal frameworks; and encourage social economy actors to scale-up through better access to public procurement and by fostering multi-level networking and cooperation with private companies and local governments to increase resilience and sustainability. We recommend looking into other geographical areas’ evidence or studies too. We request an exchange on the external dimension of the Action Plan with social economy actors from partner countries, international civil society and the European Parliament’s Development Committee. We submit more detailed recommendations in the Mind our Business report.
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Meeting with Lora Borissova (Cabinet of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen), Renaud Savignat (Cabinet of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen) and DSW (Deutsche Stiftung Weltbevoelkerung)

23 Feb 2021 · EU-Africa Summit and consulation

Meeting with Renaud Savignat (Cabinet of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen), Sandra Bartelt (Cabinet of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen)

12 Feb 2021 · Preparations of the Communication on Multilateralism and the follow-up

Meeting with Diana Montero Melis (Cabinet of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen), Renaud Savignat (Cabinet of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen) and

22 Jan 2021 · sustainable and inclusive business models through EU external action

Meeting with Renaud Savignat (Cabinet of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen)

17 Nov 2020 · Preparation of GA CONCORD

Meeting with Jutta Urpilainen (Commissioner)

17 Nov 2020 · General Assembly of Concord

Meeting with Mónica Silvana González (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

28 Oct 2020 · The impact of climate change on vulnerable population in developing countries

Meeting with Koen Doens (Director-General Directorate-General for International Partnerships)

23 Oct 2020 · Meeting with Director. Reorganisation DG DEVCO, NDICI, Team Europe, EU-Africa relations, EU-ACP negotiations.

Meeting with Sandra Bartelt (Cabinet of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen)

7 Oct 2020 · Update on Post-Cotonou Negotiations

Meeting with Diana Montero Melis (Cabinet of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen), Renaud Savignat (Cabinet of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen)

1 Oct 2020 · Inequalities and sustainable business models

Response to New Pact on Migration and Asylum

12 Aug 2020

Policy Coherence for Development (PCD) is a legal obligation of the European Commission, rooted in Article 208 of the Lisbon Treaty (2009) and reiterated in the European Consensus on Development (2017). The European Commission’s five strategic PCD challenges include migration, which means that the EU must take into account the objectives of development cooperation in its migration policies which are likely to affect developing countries. As the New Pact on Migration and Asylum is made a PCD priority for the European Commission in 2020, it shows that the Commission considers this initiative to potentially have an impact on partner countries. CONCORD Europe calls for the firm inclusion of a policy coherence for sustainable development (PCSD) perspective in the New Pact. We recognise the challenge of ensuring that EU migration policies contribute to sustainable development in countries of origin, transit and destination. The 2030 Agenda and the Global Compact on Migration indicate principles, objectives, targets and possible action for a coherent approach balancing human rights and a development-centred perspective with territorial sovereignty principles. These should serve as a basis for the new Pact. While the roadmap for a New Pact on Migration and Asylum clearly establishes the need for a modernised Common European Asylum System, it does not consider human rights’ processes, how these obligations will be met or how the New Pact will serve to standardise the way in which EU countries handle asylum-seekers, respecting human rights. The New Pact must be rooted in the EU charter of fundamental rights and respect international human rights law. Migration and asylum are described in the roadmap as a problem and not from a human right’s perspective. This leads to designing policies that deter migration from happening, instead of finding mechanisms for it to take place in an orderly manner that is beneficial to origin and destination countries and respect human rights. A coherent approach to migration should instead consider regular migration flows as an asset for achieving poverty reduction and sustainable development, for example through economic and social remittances, “brain gain”, diaspora engagement and positive effects on trade and investment. The New Pact should therefore aim at enhancing the positive effects of migration for the EU and countries of origin. In addition, the SDG target 10.7 establishes the need to improve international cooperation for creating safe regular and orderly pathways. The New Pact should, as a primary objective, offer a common EU approach in implementing those pathways and should at all cost avoid using development cooperation policy as an instrument to manage migration flows. Furthermore, CONCORD is concerned about the possible negative effects that the externalisation of migration management can have on poverty reduction and inequalities in partner countries. The externalisation of EU migration policies and its negative effects on human rights and regional mobility outside the EU has been heavily criticised, especially in the case of Libya or Niger. Applying conditionality to development aid for partner countries, based on their compliance with returns and readmissions, migration management and border control, risks undermining PCSD principles. It limits progress on sustainable development to a narrow framework that measures success based on the number of departures and returns, and ignores the valuable contributions of human mobility to development and resilience. In order to detect and prevent the above-mentioned negative effects on partner countries it is crucial that the European Commission carries out an Impact Assessment on the New Pact with a specific focus on the impact on developing countries. Neglecting the development cooperation dimension in the New Pact could over time undermine the pursuit of long-term social, environmental and economic goals as defined in the 2030 Agenda.
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Meeting with Sandra Bartelt (Cabinet of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen)

24 Jul 2020 · EU-ACP Negotiations

Meeting with Lora Borissova (Cabinet of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen), Renaud Savignat (Cabinet of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen) and

23 Jul 2020 · EU-Africa and CSO engagement

Meeting with Sandra Bartelt (Cabinet of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen)

25 Jun 2020 · EU-ACP Negotiations

Meeting with Sandra Bartelt (Cabinet of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen)

11 Jun 2020 · EU-ACP Negotiations

Meeting with Jutta Urpilainen (Commissioner) and OXFAM INTERNATIONAL EU ADVOCACY OFFICE and

28 May 2020 · Roundtable with Civil Society (NGOs)-The EU global response to COVID-19

Meeting with Diana Montero Melis (Cabinet of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen), Renaud Savignat (Cabinet of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen)

20 Apr 2020 · Inequalities

Response to EU Action Plan of Gender equality and women’s empowerment in external relations for 2021-2025

3 Apr 2020

CONCORD welcomes the publication of the roadmap regarding the EU Action Plan on Gender equality and women’s empowerment in external relations for 2021-2025. CONCORD believes that it is extremely important to continue working on the achievements of GAP II in favour of gender equality in EU external action. CONCORD calls on the European Commission and the EEAS to focus especially on the impact the GAP can and should have for women and girls on the ground. It must do so in such a way as to cover girl’s and women’s social, cultural, economic, civil and political rights. CONCORD believes that all programmes that the EU funds should be based on an analysis of the current situation of women and girls, and the identification of priority areas of intervention in consultation with women’s rights groups themselves. Furthermore, the GAP III should also continue on the tracks of the gender transformative vision of GAP II and address the intersectionality of inequalities, unequal structures and power relations, harmful social and gendered norms, gender-based discrimination and support girls and women’s agency. The importance of policy and political dialogue at all levels must not be underestimated in this regard. In addition, continued EU leadership on gender equality in the world is crucial; the EU should therefore continue its efforts in ensuring that all officials understand and prioritise gender equality in their work, including at the highest levels. It will be important to ensure that the Joint Communication on GAP III takes into account the achievements and limits of GAP II. In that sense, we welcome the statement in the roadmap that GAP III will build on the results of GAP II and we ask the European Commission and the EEAS to fully take into account the evaluation of EU support to gender equality and women’s empowerment in external action 2016-2019, being conducted at the moment by external evaluators. Beyond development cooperation and policy dialogue with partner countries, the EU has a crucial role to play to ensure coherence with its policies such as migration, trade, conflict prevention and climate change. We therefore welcome reference to those policies in the roadmap and emphasise that policy coherence for sustainable development must include an analysis of the impacts of policies on women and girls. We welcome the focus on the impact of climate change and climate-related policies on women and girls’ rights in partner countries as a priority area but recommend the Commission and EEAS to also include environmental concerns in this context. We furthermore encourage the European Commission and the EEAS to include strong commitments on progressive and gender-sensitive taxation and the fight against tax evasion and avoidance, including by European companies operating in partner countries. We call on the European Commission and the EEAS to recognise the importance of involving CSOs at all levels of consultation, implementation and reporting of the GAP, to resource them and to allow enough time to enable them to do so. It is crucial to consult widely with women’s and girls’ rights and feminist organisations at local, national, regional and international levels before drafting GAP III. EU Delegations and Member States’ Embassies should most especially be engaging local feminist and women’s rights organisations, as this is instrumental to creating ownership and ensuring impact in partner countries. While we welcome the collaborative spirit of this roadmap we are concerned that there will not be a public consultation process, but only a targeted one. In this context, we encourage the European Commission and the EEAS to involve a broad range of stakeholders and gender experts, especially representatives from women’s rights and grassroots organisations. For more detailed information on our views on the GAP III roadmap please see the attached file.
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Meeting with Sandra Bartelt (Cabinet of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen)

25 Feb 2020 · Priorities of the new Commission ; the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument

Meeting with Helena Dalli (Commissioner)

25 Feb 2020 · Gender Equality Strategy, equality in all areas of life

Meeting with Jutta Urpilainen (Commissioner) and European Youth Forum and

20 Feb 2020 · Africa Strategy

Meeting with Jutta Urpilainen (Commissioner)

30 Jan 2020 · Courtesy meeting to explore avenues of cooperation

Response to Evaluation of the EU's external action support in the area of gender equality and women empowerment

23 Sept 2019

Despite important progress over the past decades, gender inequalities persist. The denial of women’s and girls’ rights is one of the biggest causes of poverty worldwide, and a grave injustice. In order to make European development cooperation strategic and effective, the EU need to step up its efforts to tackle the underlying causes of gender inequalities and address issues such as women and girl’s sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), women’s decent work, unpaid care and domestic work, prevent and combat gender-based violence, support gender-responsive public services and promote equal political participation of women. The current EU Gender Action Plan II is soon coming to an end. CONCORD welcomed GAP II’s emphasis on gender equality with the dual argument that gender equality is important in and of itself, but also essential to sustainable development. CONCORD appreciated the continuation of the three-pronged approach introduced already in the first GAP: gender mainstreaming, specific actions and political dialogue. GAP II made a systematic gender analysis mandatory for all new external actions and extended the reach of GAP II to all areas of external action, not just development cooperation. CONCORD highlighted a few key areas for improvement in relation to GAP II (non-exhaustive list): • The EU must promote CSO inclusion at all levels. EU Delegations and Member States should engage more actively with CSOs around GAP II; • EU Delegations and Member States need to find ways to ensure the sustainability of gender projects and programmes in the face of declining ODA and phasing out of EU ODA and the increasing role of non-traditional donors; • The final evaluation for GAP II, and the drafting process of GAP III, should highlight enabling factors and markers of change, as this will be the best way to evaluate its impact. [https://concordeurope.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/CONCORD_GAP_report_online_2018.pdf] Looking ahead, a new GAP (III) should build and expand on the path laid out in the current GAP (II). As there is a lot of momentum and ownership, and given the strong content of the GAP 2016-2020, there should be a high level of alignment between GAP II and GAP III. • The new GAP should build on activities and priorities from GAP II. A new GAP (III) should continue with its work on institutional and cultural shift and the 3-pronged approach, where the EU uses political dialogue, targeted activities and gender mainstreaming to bring about the transformation of gender relations. • The GAP III should continue to focus on all aspects of EU external action, and not only on development policies, and this at all stages, including implementation and reporting. Gender must be mainstreamed in all sectors, including in non-social sectors such as trade, energy, agriculture and migration. • The next GAP should focus on impact for women and girls on the ground. Therefore, all programmes that the EU funds should be based on an analysis of the current situation of women and girls, and the identification of priority areas of intervention in consultation with women’s rights groups themselves. [Further suggestions are included in the attached PDF-file on GAP III messages]. With regards to the EU’s next Multiannual Financial Framework: • The EU should adopt and fund a gender-responsive approach to the next MFF and subsequently in each annual budget in order to promote gender equality (gender budgeting). • The EU commitment made in the GAP II that at least 85% of ODA-funded programmes should have gender equality as a significant or principal objective (OECD Gender marker 1 or 2) should be enshrined in the Regulation of the new Neighbourhood, Development, and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) in the next MFF. In order to make sure targeted action gets the needed resources within this wider commitment, 20% of the NDICI funding go to programmes having gender equality as a principal objective (G2).
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Meeting with Elina Melngaile (Cabinet of Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis), Maria Luisa Llano Cardenal (Cabinet of Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis)

23 Sept 2019 · Inclusive Economy

Meeting with Helena Braun (Cabinet of First Vice-President Frans Timmermans)

28 May 2019 · discussion on the implementation of SDGs

Meeting with Ann Mettler (Director-General Inspire, Debate, Engage and Accelerate Action)

2 Apr 2019 · SDGs

Meeting with Nils Behrndt (Cabinet of Vice-President Neven Mimica)

19 Mar 2019 · Cooperation CONCORD with DEVCO under the Framework Partnership Agreement

Meeting with Riccardo Maggi (Cabinet of First Vice-President Frans Timmermans)

20 Feb 2019 · past and future of better regulation

Meeting with Neven Mimica (Commissioner) and

28 Jan 2019 · Discussion about MFF/NDICI

Response to Evaluation of EU’s emergency trust fund for stability and addressing root causes of migration in Africa

7 Dec 2018

Based on CONCORD’s analysis published in Jan 2018 and on CONCORD members’ inputs, we suggest that the Mid-Term Evaluation (MTE) of the EUTF for Africa is approached in line with the following recommendations. - Always consider the EU’s fundamental values. EUTF projects must integrate human rights at the core of programming and contribute to the realisation of human rights in the countries concerned. - Make sure that EUTF funding coming from development budget lines is not used for security measures hampering migrants’ rights. Instead, EU development funding should respect the Lisbon Treaty and 2030 Agenda, which clearly states that EU development cooperation must have the eradication of poverty and sustainable development as the main objectives. - Engage with third countries’ security systems only to increase their ability to provide individuals with more effective and accountable safety in a manner consistent with international law and the protection of human rights. - Promote gender equality and women’s empowerment inf EUTF programmes as well as the protection of those most vulnerable, including children and persons with disabilities. - CSOs must be consulted for the MTE and in EUTF programming and implementation, at local, regional and national levels and an open, transparent and regular dialogue must be maintained, - Given the lack of transparency and the flexibility in the choice of funding modalities and the allocation of funds, evaluate whether decision-making is based on objective criteria e.g. expertise, cost-effectiveness in compliance with the EU financial regulation as well with EU’s policy commitments. - Aim at confirming whether the decision-making and contracting processes have allowed for beneficiaries’ needs to be addressed in a timely manner and in compliance with EU’s policy commitments. - Secure consistency of the EUTF projects with development effectiveness principles and assess the level of local communities’ engagement during the implementation and at the end of the projects. EUTF can only be effective if it provides local CSOs and NGOs with the opportunity to participate in a meaningful way in the design and the implementation of projects, which may ensure that projects respond to local needs and that human rights, including migrants’, are respected and this has not been the case in key countries such as Libya, Niger and on a less extent also in Ethiopia (see CONCORD Europe monitoring report). - Evaluate EUTF’s role in bridging humanitarian aid and development to increase community resilience (this has been insufficiently applied in the case of Libya and Niger, see CONCORD Europe report). In such cases where national priorities do not exist or are incoherent due to weak governance, full consultation with local authorities and civil society as well as comprehensive assessments of local needs must be a prerequisite. Flexibility for operations is needed to serve the population, but not to cater for changing political priorities in Europe. - EUTF must not be used in complementarity with conditionality of aid for migration control based on EU interests. CONCORD Europe analysis has identified projects such as the budget aid to Niger government where conditionality has been attached in the implementation of actions aimed at migration management according to EU interest. Neither positive nor negative incentives aimed at curbing human mobility should be used with third countries. - Consider in the evaluation the EUTF unbalanced priorities: CONCORD’s report shows that less funds are dedicated to opening regular pathways for migration compared to measures to prevent or stem migration. This happens despite under the Valletta Action Plan, the EU and its Member States made a clear commitment to offering safe and regular pathways for migration.
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Meeting with Helena Braun (Cabinet of First Vice-President Frans Timmermans)

2 Oct 2018 · discussion on the implementation of the SDGs

Meeting with Frans Timmermans (First Vice-President) and European Environmental Bureau and

11 Jul 2018 · meeting with the representatives of the SDG high-level multi-stakeholder platform

Meeting with Helena Braun (Cabinet of First Vice-President Frans Timmermans) and European Environmental Bureau and

18 Jun 2018 · meeting with the representatives of the SDG high-level multi-stakeholder platform

Meeting with Nils Behrndt (Cabinet of Vice-President Neven Mimica)

19 Apr 2018 · Policy coherence for Development

Meeting with Helena Braun (Cabinet of First Vice-President Frans Timmermans)

12 Dec 2017 · Discussion on the Sustainable Development Goals

Meeting with Stefano Manservisi (Director-General Directorate-General for International Partnerships)

17 Oct 2017 · Cooperation with Civil Society

Meeting with Nils Behrndt (Cabinet of Vice-President Neven Mimica)

17 Oct 2017 · Civil society as partners in development cooperation

Meeting with Maria-Myrto Kanellopoulou (Cabinet of Vice-President Neven Mimica) and ActionAid

30 Mar 2017 · European Consensus on Development

Meeting with Maria-Myrto Kanellopoulou (Cabinet of Vice-President Neven Mimica)

27 Mar 2017 · Discussion of some of the recommendations of CONCORD's report ‘Sustainable Development – The stakes could not be higher’

Meeting with Sarah Nelen (Cabinet of First Vice-President Frans Timmermans)

27 Mar 2017 · Sustainable Development

Meeting with Stefano Manservisi (Director-General Directorate-General for International Partnerships)

29 Jun 2016 · Discussions sur le futur de la politique de développement

Meeting with Maria-Myrto Kanellopoulou (Cabinet of Vice-President Neven Mimica), Paolo Berizzi (Cabinet of Vice-President Neven Mimica)

2 Mar 2016 · Presentation of the next CONCORD priorities. Exchange of views on the most prominent issues in the area of international cooperation and development

Meeting with Ann Mettler (Director-General Inspire, Debate, Engage and Accelerate Action) and WWF European Policy Programme

12 Jan 2016 · Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the EU

Meeting with Cecilia Malmström (Commissioner)

11 Nov 2015 · current trade policy issues linked with developing countries

Meeting with Sarah Nelen (Cabinet of First Vice-President Frans Timmermans)

15 Sept 2015 · Sustainable development

Meeting with Paolo Berizzi (Cabinet of Vice-President Neven Mimica)

3 Mar 2015 · Presentation of Commissioner Mimica's priorities.

Meeting with Fernando Frutuoso De Melo (Director-General Directorate-General for International Partnerships)

3 Feb 2015 · Modalités de coopération entre DEVCO et les organismes de la société civile, notamment les ONG