Europe’s development leaders call for rethink on aid and partnerships

At a moment of reckoning for European development cooperation, two veteran voices — Germany’s former Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul and Enabel CEO Jean Van Wetter — joined Devex for a candid conversation on the future of aid in Europe. The conversation was part of a Devex Pro event focused on looming budget cuts, geopolitical shifts, and the upcoming 4th International Conference on Financing for Development, or FfD4, in Seville, Spain. Their message was clear: Traditional aid is no longer sufficient, but neither is the growing turn toward purely strategic or private sector-led engagement. Instead, both called for a reimagined model — one that uses traditional development players to encourage private investment, resists the erosion of global solidarity, and reinvents development as a tool for shared global interest. “We live in a pivotal moment in the history of international cooperation,” Van Wetter said, outlining his mantra for the sector’s future: resist and reinvent. “Resist the movement against what we believe and our values,” but also reinvent, “because the geopolitical context has changed,” he said. Wieczorek-Zeul echoed the urgency, warning that Europe is at risk of narrowing its aid focus to migration control, an approach she called “a dangerous mistake.” Instead, she argued, “the greatest challenge is the transformation in a social just and ecological way for our planet.” Both speakers pushed back on the idea that Europe’s evolving aid posture is solely self-interested. “The ‘Global Gateway' didn’t start under Trump,” Van Wetter said, referring to the European Union’s infrastructure investment strategy, launched in 2021, aimed at mobilizing up to €300 billion by 2027 to support sustainable and high-standard infrastructure projects around the world. This shift predates that, Van Wetter explained, adding that the EU is trying to find mutual partnerships, not just promote its own interests. Still, he warned of the risk of turning this shift into one focused more on power than on development. Germany and Belgium are among many European countries reducing aid budgets. Wieczorek-Zeul was blunt: Germany is already below the 0.7% ODA target, and much of what we call aid includes support for refugees in Germany — not help to countries like Uganda. Van Wetter emphasized the need to “reinvent a narrative” that resonates with European citizens — one that uses words people can understand rather than development jargon. “People don’t really understand what we do. … And we are partly responsible for that.” Van Wetter said that the sector has failed to speak a language that connects outside the development bubble. Adopting a broader rhetoric could help form broader coalitions with private companies and philanthropies, which both panelists advocated for. Van Wetter described successful alliances, such as vaccine manufacturing partnerships in Africa and green hydrogen initiatives, as models for a new approach. “We need to be open to create new alliances. But making sure that those new alliances, in a wa,y do not divert us from our basic mandate.” Still, Wieczorek-Zeul cautioned that private sector engagement cannot replace public development finance. Aid must create local jobs, reduce poverty, and support sustainable development goals, or it’s not development, she said. On philanthropy, Van Wetter was pragmatic, arguing that Bill Gates is putting $10 billion a year into global health. That’s a quarter of the USAID budget. We cannot ignore that. But we also can’t be dominated by one agenda. The Financing for Development conference in Seville this June loomed large. Both speakers framed it as an opportunity to build a coalition across Europe, Africa, and emerging donors and to discuss expanding development beyond OECD countries. She added that the conference should address the “imperialistic trade policy” of the U.S. and push for fairer rules within the World Trade Organization and the International Monetary Fund. She encouraged collective answers, not just bilateral reactions. Van Wetter agreed, suggesting that we need to stop focusing on the U.S. decision and recognize this is a chance to reshape the system. He also mentioned new interest from Middle Eastern donors, which is something he is hoping will be explored at the conference in Seville. Asked how the changing landscape affects jobs in the sector, Van Wetter called for more fluidity across NGOs, government, and private firms — and warned that the current uncertainty across the development landscape will risk repelling a new generation of talent. “It’s a huge risk to attract new talent, especially the next generation. Would you want to work in this sector if you think that there is no future in this sector?”