What awaits the new EU leadership?

The EU’s new troika of leaders has emerged after months of intense negotiations between member states. Donald Tusk, the prime minister of Poland, has been elected to succeed Herman van Rompuy as president of the European Council. Jean-Claude Juncker, Luxembourg’s former prime minister, has been designated as the European Commission’s next president. And Federica Mogherini, Italy’s recently appointed foreign minister, has been chosen to become the next high representative for foreign affairs and security policy. Marking the culmination of the European game of musical chairs, Juncker announced in early September the 27 nominees that are set to become the new faces of the European Commission. Among these are Croatian Neven Mimica, who was nominated to replace Andris Piebalgs as the international cooperation and development commissioner, and Cypriot Christos Stylianides, who is expected to take over the humanitarian portfolio from Kristalina Georgieva. Hearings to confirm their nominations will start Sept. 29, with final votes expected by the end of October. In this context, Devex decided to take a closer look into the dynamics, challenges and opportunities that are likely to shape the international agenda of the incoming EU executive team. A promising structure and leadership Determined to inject new vigor into the 28-nation bloc, Commission President-elect Juncker has opted for an executive structure that not only reflects a wealth of political experience — his team counts a majority of former prime ministers and ministers — but also a drive to improve policy coherence and operational efficiency. In an unprecedented organizational innovation, Juncker designated seven vice presidents with no portfolio of their own. Empowered with real coordinating power, each of these “super-commissioners” is instead expected to lead a thematic cluster of commissioners. To ensure better integration of the external dimension of Commission policies with the European External Action Service, Mogherini is expected to guide the work of both Mimica and Stylianides. Civil society organizations welcome this move, particularly those that have been calling on Brussels to make policy coherence for development a reality. “Coordination and coherence between development and humanitarian departments and the EU’s foreign policy service has always been an issue [for CONCORD],” Seamus Jeffreson, director of the European confederation of relief and development nongovernmental organization, stressed to Devex. Further, with Juncker set to focus on EU internal affairs — particularly jobs, growth and the future of the euro — there is a unique opportunity for Mogherini to give the EU the global strategic direction and focus the bloc sorely needs. Also, hopes are high that Mimica’s political know-how will help foster a strong EU stance on development issues. “As some of the key issues are increasingly about tackling global challenges, diplomatic skills and the ability to pull and help build and contribute to global collective are vital,” explained James Mackie, senior adviser on EU development policy at the European Centre for Development Policy Management. Mimica’s experience as Croatia’s chief negotiator should give him an “instinctive understanding of what is it like to negotiate with the European Union,” he added. Agreeing on the future of development The coming year will set the course of the world’s future, with three major agreements planned to take place in 2015: a sustainable development framework to replace the Millennium Development Goals, an international arrangement on financing for development, and a legally binding global treaty on climate change. In the past decade, the outgoing Commission had been successful in fostering a strong sense of urgency and commitment among member states on the post-2015 period and the issue of sustainable development. But now that the policy building blocks are in place — along with increasingly diversified instruments — Brussels has yet to prove it can play a catalytic role in all three negotiation processes by building international consensus. “The Juncker Commission will have its work cut out to deliver strong EU positions,” ECDPM’s Mackie explained to Devex. “However, [it] faces the major challenge of bringing this debate to fruition and agreeing the necessary deals with other countries at the international level.” At the center of this consensus-building process, Mimica will have to demonstrate an instinct for nimble cooperation and decisive footwork, along with a strong emphasis on delivery. “Any new initiatives [Mimica] wishes to take should ideally be clearly oriented to supporting the achievement and solid implementation of this already demanding agenda,” Mackie stressed. Continued commitment to development, humanitarian aid The European Year for Development, set to take place in 2015, will be a unique opportunity for the incoming Commission to showcase its unwavering commitment to international aid efforts in its first year in office. However, development cooperation and humanitarian assistance are no easy sells during tough economic times. And with Brussels front-loading growth and job creation within its borders, tremendous pressure will be on Mimica and Stylianides to help bridge current gaps in funding and fight for a robust EU aid and humanitarian budget in 2015 — especially since it’s only a marginal proportion of the total EU budget. Although the EU aid envelope comprises only 6 percent of the bloc’s total budget, it helps the European Union keep its standing as the world’s largest humanitarian and development aid donor, Stijn De Lameillieure, EuropeAid partnership manager at Save the Children, told Devex. “Within the 2015 EU budget, [we want] to see an increased level of payment credits for development cooperation, covering financing for pre-2014 commitments as well as commitments agreed upon under the new Multiannual Financial Framework,” De Lameillieure said. Meanwhile, the scale and complexity of global crises continue to grow, notably in the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Syria, Ukraine and the Ebola-hit countries in West Africa. How the EU will cope with this multitude of crises despite limited resources will require the Juncker Commission to place greater emphasis on advocacy. “In complex conflict situations, it’s not just about the volume and efficiency of aid operations. It’s also about ensuring that those operations are acting and are perceived to be independent and impartial, in order to be able to reach people in need no matter where they are,” Natalia Alonso, deputy director of advocacy and campaigns at Oxfam’s EU office, told Devex, stressing the importance not just of providing aid but also making sure there is space to deliver it. Further, the incoming humanitarian chief will have to ensure that the principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence — ingrained in the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid — continue to shape policy and guide programming work, especially in the context of the Commission’s new “cluster structure.” “Stylianides will need to navigate between his role to contribute to the work of the new EU foreign policy chief and her political mandate, and safeguarding the EU’s long-standing commitment to providing apolitical humanitarian relief on the sole basis of the needs of vulnerable people around the world,” Alonso underlined. Structuring private sector involvement in development In the past couple of years, the EU has increasingly signaled its changed attitude and relationship toward private sector involvement in its development and humanitarian aid efforts — a trend that many expect the Juncker Commission to pursue, albeit with more refinement. In a recent policy paper, the Commission outlined 12 concrete actions it plans to take to support the private sector in having a positive impact on developing countries, particularly on women, young people and the rural poor. Several social areas in which the involvement of private companies could effectively complement and add value to EU development assistance were also identified. However, even though the new framework is now set to inform EU development assistance programming and multiannual country plans, fundamental questions remain about how the strategy will be play out in practice. This puts the onus on the incoming Commission to explain how EU support for the private sector will be regulated, implemented and synchronized with traditional aid efforts. Check out more insights and analysis provided to hundreds of Executive Members worldwide, and subscribe to the Development Insider to receive the latest news, trends and policies that influence your organization.