European Union

Thus, on 15 November 2023, the European Union (EU) and its Member States signed the new partnership agreement with the members of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), which will now constitute the overarching legal framework for their relations over the next 20 years. The successor to the Cotonou Agreement, the “Samoa Agreement” aims to strengthen the capacity of the EU and African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries to jointly address global challenges together, by laying down common principles covering six priority areas, notably (i) democracy and human rights; (ii) sustainable economic growth and development; (iii) climate change; (iv) human and social development; (v) peace and security; and (vi) migration and mobility.

The Council continued to follow up on the new “Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument — Global Europe” (NDICI), which has an overall financial envelope of EUR 79.5 billion for the 2021-2027 period. Luxembourg argued in favour of maintaining a significant proportion of the external budget for official development assistance (ODA), and in particular for the least developed countries.

Outside the developing countries, the EU continued to show solidarity with Ukraine. The European Commission has allocated EUR 785 million to the financing of humanitarian aid programmes in Ukraine. In addition, 98,000 tonnes of in-kind assistance, valued at more than EUR 796 million, were provided to Ukraine by Member States and EU partners through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. In terms of reconstruction, in June 2023 the Commission proposed to establish a “Facility for Ukraine” with a budget of EUR 50 billion over a four-year period (2024-2027) to support Ukraine’s efforts to maintain macro-financial stability, promote recovery and modernise.

As a priority of the Swedish Presidency, the EU Council adopted conclusions on corruption as an obstacle to development. The Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU from July to December 2023 focused on a just social, ecological and digital transition, welcomed by Luxembourg, which stressed in this regard the importance of ODA. In addition, the Council succeeded in adopting conclusions on the “Team Europe” approach, where Luxembourg is committed to a flexible and proactive application. The Council also adopted conclusions on the special report of the European Court of Auditors on the Spotlight initiative to eliminate violence against women and girls, as well as conclusions on the special report of the European Court of Auditors on Programming the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe.

The implementation of the new Global Gateway development strategy has also progressed, not least with the publication of the first list of flagship projects for 2023 in five priority areas, namely transport, digitisation, climate and energy, health and education and research. Luxembourg has worked throughout the year on strengthening the human development aspect of this new investment strategy. The Global Gateway strategy seeks to go beyond traditional development cooperation by trying to align European strategic interests with the interests of Europe’s partners. Thus, the external investment strategy actively seeks to do more to incorporate the private sector, with the aim of broadening the financing bases of its external action. To that end, in 2023 the European Commission created the Global Gateway Business Advisory Board, made up of representatives of the European private sector responsible for advising the Commission on strategy in the implementation of the Global Gateway.

In October 2023, the Commission organised the first Global Gateway Forum at the level of Heads of State and Government, which was a great success and demonstrated the interest of partner countries in partnering with the EU in the above-mentioned areas. Luxembourg was represented by Xavier Bettel, who stressed in his speech the importance of partnerships and fair access to the benefits of digitalisation. Luxembourg actively contributes to the implementation of the Global Gateway through its participation in various Team Europe initiatives (TEIs), particularly in the fields of education and research, while respecting the principle of untied aid and ensuring that development cooperation continues to be directed toward the most disadvantaged groups, particularly in the least developed countries.

In the framework of the European Union – Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) Summit, held from 17 to 18 July in Brussels, leaders from both communities adopted an investment agenda under the Global Gateway, identifying fair green and digital investment opportunities in Latin America and the Caribbean.