The EU’s Role in Development: A Full-Fledged Development Actor or Eclipsed by Superpower Temptations?

Abstract

While the European Union’s (EU) capacities and impact in foreign and security policy have been extensively discussed among policymakers and academics, the question of the EU’s role in development has caught less attention. Most observers would agree with the banner on each page of the European Commission’s development website that ‘Europe is the biggest provider of development aid in the world’. Nevertheless, beyond the simple observation that the EU member states and the Commission collectively provide 55 per cent of aid in the world, many questions remain unanswered. Does that mean that the EU is a powerful actor in development? Does it manage to act coherently in its relations with developing countries? Are EU aid budgets directed towards the Millennium Development Goals, or towards other (foreign) policy objectives? What, if anything, is distinctive about the EU’s development vision and approach?