The European Council remains committed to meet the 2015 development assistance targets it set in 2005 and will report on its progress on an annual basis. The pledge came during the council’s June 17 meeting in Brussels.
In the conclusions document released after the meeting, the council also reaffirmed the European Union’s commitment to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. It urged the international community to demonstrate firm political commitment, take concrete action and implement policies necessary to achieve the eight goals by their 2015 deadline.
The conclusion document stated that during the high-level plenary meeting in September, the EU will push for concrete actions aimed at the following goals:
- Increase country ownership of development projects.
- Improve impact of development policies.
- Mobilize more and predictable financing for development.
- More effective use of development resources.
On June 14, top EU officials agreed to focus development aid on a group of nations that need “special attention” as determined by the European Commission.
