The EU and the risks of inaction
02 June 2025Yesterday I attended a meeting, organized by the Civil Society Dialogue Network (CSDN), about the role that the European Union could and should play in conflict prevention and resolution in ‘situations of fragility’. A clear euphemism for the curr…
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The Barroso II Commission: one small step for European development policy
Davina Makhan | 07 March 2025Note from the editor: the below article was published on the 1st of March on the website of the German Development Institute, and in German on the sites of Die Zeit and Deutsche WelleThe approval of the second EU-Commission of José Manuel Barroso…
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Four institutes joined forces to call for new beginnings in European Development Cooperation
Jeske van Seters | 23 February 2025The October 2009 issue of The Broker featured an opinion piece from 3 current directors and 1 former director of leading European development institutes that formed the start for this discussion blog. The 4 institutions – DIE based in Bonn, ECDPM…
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Article by Otto Holman: "Europe’s moment of truth"
Niels Keijzer | 15 December 2025Those of you who are subscribed to the Broker magazine will have already come across it, but this brief post is to highlight an article in the most recent edition by Otto Holman, reader in international relations and European integration stud…
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How can the new European Commission make further progress on Policy Coherence for Development?
Paul Engel | 02 December 2025In order to improve the promotion of Policy Coherence for Development in the European Union, we need to address both ‘thematic’ and ‘horizontal’ priorities.Thematic priorities such as trade and migration policies are generally in the limelight and…
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New Commissioners and ominous footnotes
Niels Keijzer | 29 November 2025Last Friday, European Commission President Barosso presented his proposed 27-strong team and the policy portfolios for each of them. Reactions in the press on the proposed team of Commissioners are on average ‘tentatively positive’ of the mix of e…
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The European External Action Service: the 29th EU donor?
Niels Keijzer | 18 November 2025While the longest dinner in EU history is soon to start, some of you may like to easy the waiting by taking account of important decisions made by the EU this week on policy coherence and more contours of the ‘job description’ for the High Represe…
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Judith Sargentini: Viva article 208, down with reality
Judith Sargentini | 08 November 2025November 2009 is a historic month. With Vaclav Klaus, the last head of state has finally ratified the Lisbon Treaty. The Treaty, in effect as from 1st December, makes the Council of ministers more transparent, gives us Members of the European Parl…
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The End of the Beginning?
Niels Keijzer | 04 November 2025Those of you who missed the Czech Constitutional Court’s ruling and the subsequent signing of the Treaty by Vaclav Klaus on were likely staying on an uninhabited island. The addition of the final signature last Tuesday at 15.00 PM Central Eu…
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EU change–makers discussing the implications of a ratified Lisbon Treaty for the EU’s external action architecture
Mikaela Gavas , Jeske van Seters | 27 October 2025At Ermonville in December 2008 and in London in April 2009, a group of around 50 politicians, policy-makers and analysts gathered to discuss Europe’s role in development and to think through practical and effective operational structures. As a fol…
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