Seminar
29 September 2022 14:00 — 17:00
How to better engage the European private sector in EU development cooperation
On 29 September 2022, from 1400-1700 CEST, ECDPM is co-hosting an event in Brussels, together with the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU on ‘How to better engage the European private sector in EU development cooperation’. ECDPM’s San Bilal will moderate the event and Karim Karaki will.
ECDPM staff involved


The private sector is a key engine for sustainable and inclusive economic growth and transformation. It contributes to poverty reduction and inclusive socio-economic development and makes a decisive contribution to achieving the SDGs. In the financial framework of the EU covering the period 2021-2027, private sector engagement is firmly embedded in the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe (NDICI-GE), the main financial instrument to contribute to eradicating poverty and promoting sustainable development, prosperity, peace and stability internationally. This is well illustrated by the European Fund for Sustainable Development Plus (EFSD+), which is part of NDICI-GE and aims to leverage public and private investments and support private sector operations that contribute to achieving the SDGs.
The EU seeks to engage both local and European businesses, also in the context of the new European Financial Architecture in Development (EFAD). This merits including European SMEs, which are key actors in the European economy, representing 53% of the total value added produced in the EU and 65% of total employment, and many of which are involved in global value chains. Inclusive EU private sector engagement can help to fully leverage what different EU member states and development actors have to offer through a Team Europe approach. The European private sector is expected to play a key role in the Global Gateway.
In this context, the Czech Presidency has chosen the inclusive engagement of the European private sector as one of its priorities in EU development cooperation. Under that priority, the Czech Presidency dedicates various meetings of the relevant Council working parties (CODEV-PI and RELEX – Global Gateway) to the topic. To support knowledge gathering and sharing, to feed into policy-making and implementation, the Presidency also cooperates with ECDPMto conduct a study dedicated to the topic, which is currently ongoing.
This event aims to bring together various stakeholders including policy-makers, development financial institutions, businesses and civil society, to provide an opportunity for an inclusive targeted discussion. As a contribution to this discussion, ECDPM will present preliminary findings of the ongoing study and the discussion will also serve as input for the study.
Programme
Welcome words by the Czech Presidency:
H.E. Edita Hrdá, Ambassador, Permanent Representation of the Czech Republic to the EU
Mr. Tomáš Prouza, Special Envoy for Czech Presidency in the Council of the EU, Ministry of Industry and Trade, former State Secretary for European Affairs
Presentation of the preliminary findings of the study:
Karim Karaki, Policy Officer, ECDPM
Panel Discussion:
Cécile Billaux, Head of Unit, INTPA E.2. Micro-economic Analysis, Investment Climate, Private Sector, Trade and Employment, European Commission
Laure Blanchard-Brunac, Director of Policy & Partnerships, EDFI
Benedikt Wiedenhofer, International Relations Department of Business Europe
Jeroen Kwakkenbos, Deputy Head of EU Office and Senior Aid Policy and Development Finance Advisor, Oxfam
Ingeborg van den Nieuwendijk, Atradius, Export Credit Agency (ECA) of the Dutch Government
Moderator:
San Bilal, Senior Executive and Head, Economic recovery and transformation, ECDPM