On 15 April we held a roundtable in Rome organised by ActionAid Italy. There were participants from the Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Italian and international Development NGO community as well as from The European Commission’s Representation in Rome
There was an interesting and lively debate primarily focused on the role of the European Commission as a motor for development cooperation reform. On the day following the national elections, much emphasis was made in the discussion about the need for reform of Italian development cooperation and the role the EU should/could play in that process. The participants addressed concerns relating to coherence of policies and practices in EC Aid.
The discussion also looked at the potential impact of the Lisbon Treaty on the poverty focus and impact of the EU’s development actions.
Participants addressed a series of concerns relating to the communication of development policies and impacts and the need to engage a broader public in these discussions to ensure support.
List of participants: .doc| .pdf
Filed under: Roundtables
