Everyone in the European Union development bubble is talking about the “Global Gateway” — but few can agree on what it is.
A new €300 billion ($318 billion) strategy to invest in green, sustainable, digital infrastructure, according to the European Commission. A repackaging of the status quo for some Members of the European Parliament — or even a potentially dangerous departure from the Sustainable Development Goals for some NGOs.
Perhaps it is simply the latest effort to do what EU development policy has always done: try to make friends and influence people around the world by co-financing projects with loans from European development banks, complemented where possible by precious grant money. In 2007, there was the EU-Africa Infrastructure Trust Fund. In 2018, it was an Alliance for Sustainable Investment and Jobs. And, since December 2021, there is the Global Gateway.