EU development policy
As a Member State of the European Union, Finland supports development in different parts of the world. The primary goals of European development policy are eradication of poverty and promotion of security and stability. In 2022, Finland channelled 18 per cent of its development cooperation appropriations through the European Union.
The European Union has supported the construction of a refugee reception facility, completed in the Eastern Congo in 2021. Photo: Mathias Eick / EU.
Development policy is a part of the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). Finnish and EU development policy have largely coinciding goals, such as the promotion of human rights, democracy and good governance, and both are increasingly directing assistance to the least developed and fragile countries.
In 2017, the EU and its Member States signed a statement on EU development policy, called the European Consensus on Development. Its primary goal is poverty eradication. The Consensus is based on the UN 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Active participation in decision-making on development policy in the EU provides Finland greater opportunities than its size would suggest to shape the future of international development policy and to influence the implementation of development cooperation in different parts of the globe. At the same time, this is part of Finland’s multilateral cooperation. As an example of this, Finland attends international negotiations as part of the EU.
As an EU member state, Finland supports development in different parts of the world
The EU is a superpower in development cooperation. Its partners include about 160 countries, regions and organisations in various parts of the world. In 2023, the EU and its 27 Member States allocated approximately EUR 95,9 billion for development cooperation activities. This represents 42 percent of all Official Development Assistance (ODA) in the world.
The European Commission’s annual report on the implementation of external action instruments gives examples of what the EU’s development cooperation funding was used for in 2023.
Development cooperation is one of the shared competences. This means that the European Union and each of its Member States practice their own development cooperation and development policies. The Member States’ development cooperation complements and supports the development cooperation carried out by the Union.
The Member States agree between themselves about the common practices and principles that give guidance to the implementation of development policy in all EU Member States. Finland plays a part in this process.
Finland exerts influence in the EU to make the Union pay wider attention to the impacts of it actions on developing countries. For instance, EU decisions and agreements in such areas as taxation, trade and agriculture have significant direct or indirect effects on developing countries.
As a Member of the European Union, Finland participates in the implementation of the Global Gateway strategy that was launched in 2021. The goal of this strategy is to improve economic and social development in developing countries by boosting smart, sustainable and secure solutions in the digital, energy and transport sectors and by strengthening healthcare, education and research systems.
The Global Gateway makes development policy a more integral part of the EU’s common foreign and security policy and also brings trade policy and development policy closer together. Under the strategy, the EU aims to mobilise investments up to EUR 300 billion by 2027, also from the private sector.
Finland will encourage the participation of Finnish companies in Global Gateway joint projects especially in the fields of digitalisation, education, climate and energy solutions.
How does Finland participate in the EU’s decision-making?
Finland work at different levels to bring issues important for Finland to the fore in EU development policy:
• Finland’s Minister for Foreign Trade and Development attends the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) when it meets to make decisions in its development configuration.
• Finland participates in the preparation of decisions to be made by the Council of Ministers by attending working parties at senior official level, including the Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA) and the ACP Working Party, which focuses on cooperation with the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries.
• Finland is involved in the implementation and monitoring of development cooperation projects and programmes by working in the committees responsible for EU external relations funding.
• Finland's missions in different countries participate in the coordination of the EU's development cooperation and in consultations and expert-level meetings related to the EU's country strategies.
In Finland, the Foreign Ministry’s Unit for Development Policy has primarily responsibility for the preparation and coordination of the national positions related to EU development policy and for informing Parliament on them.
EU development policy is implemented by the European Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS)
The European Commission's Directorate-General for International Partnerships (INTPA) and the European External Action Service (EEAS) are responsible for the formulation of European development policy and for delivering aid. The EU has 154 missions in different countries across the globe. They are responsible for the management and monitoring of the EU’s development cooperation projects in the partner countries.
In 2021–2027, development cooperation will be funded through the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI - Global Europe). Finland’s support for the programme in 2021–2027 amounts to EUR 79.5 million.
Finland and the European Union are working together in the Rural Village Water Resources Management Project (RVWRMP) in Nepal. Finland’s contribution to the project is EUR 20 million in 2016–2022