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ECDPM event

Seminar

The EU and middle-income countries today: An odd couple?

The European Commission’s recent proposal for the EU budget after 2020 mentions innovative forms of engagement with middle-income and more advanced developing countries. But it gives very few details when it comes to explaining what this means in practice.

While the relationship is not only – but also – about the money, the debate on the future EU budget and the programming process opens the floor for deeper discussions on what these innovative forms of engagement between the European Union and these countries could look like.

• Is the EU well equipped to cooperate with middle-income and more advanced developing countries on global and regional challenges?
• What can the EU do to support these countries in their own efforts to reduce poverty, tackle inequalities, modernise their economies and protect the environment?
• How realistic is to talk about mutually beneficial partnerships?

Speakers

We have invited four panelists to answer these and more questions topic:

• Mr Gaspar Frontini, Head of Unit SDGs, Policy and Coherence at DG DEVCO
• Dr Len Ishmael, Former Ambassador of Eastern Caribbean States to Europe
• Mr Paulo Esteves, General Supervisor of the BRICS Policy Center in Rio de Janeiro and research fellow at the IASS
• Mariella Di Ciommo, policy officer at ECDPM and one of the authors of our recent study on the EU future engagement with middle-income and more advanced developing countries.

Virginia Mucchi will moderate the debate.

Please note: a buffet will be served between 12:00 and 12:30, discussions will start at 12:30 and will end at 14:00.

Will you join us?

We are looking forward to interesting and informative discussions during what we hope will be a very interactive seminar.

Please let us know if you will join us by filling in this form, or contact Annette Powell at apo@ecdpm.org.

In addition to structural support by ECDPM’s institutional partners (the Netherlands, Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark and Austria), this event also benefits from funding by the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID).