Development: poverty eradication to combat migration and terrorism

“If we want to encourage people not to leave their countries because of wars, inequality, human rights violations or poverty, we have to actually fight the root causes. We call for a migration-linked development assistance to focus on promoting inclusion and economic opportunities, democracy-building, good governance and the rule of law, and creating policy space for the civil society. Development policy should play a central role in addressing problems such as state fragility, conflicts, insecurity and marginalisation, poverty and the violation of human rights”, stressed Bogdan Wenta MEP, Rapporteur, following today’s vote in the European Parliament’s Development Committee on the Report on the revision of the European Consensus on Development.

“To tackle these challenges more efficiently, the EPP Group insists that the EU and the Member States need to ensure more coherence in their external action, notably by developing the links between migration and development policies, as well as security and development”, stressed Wenta. The possibilities to pool Member States’ resources, involving to a greater extent the funding from the private sector, avoiding the overlaps and aid fragmentation, using the development policy to also support conflict prevention, conflict resolution and post-conflict rehabilitation and development, should be further explored.

“The new European Consensus on Development provides an opportunity to define shared objectives, values and principles to which the EU and its Member States have committed", underlined Wenta. “If we can help people in different countries in Africa, Asia and South America to create possibilities for themselves - both industrial and social - then perhaps they wouldn’t have to ride the waves of migration and see Europe as their paradise.”

“I am satisfied with the result of today’s vote. We still have the negotiations with the Maltese Presidency, the Council and the European Commission ahead of us. I hope that the outcome of the talks will constitute a strong foundation for a joint approach to sustainable development in the next decade. There is no development without peace. This objective of peaceful and inclusive societies with access to justice for all should translate into EU external action, building resilience", concluded Wenta.