Newsletter – n°39 – January 2016

The world at a glance

January is not only the beginning of a new year; it is also the start of a new presidency of the Council of the EU. Let’s look back at the achievements of the Luxembourg presidency.

From June to December 2015, the Luxembourg presidency had to coordinate a number of discussions intrinsically linked to development issues such as the negotiation of the Paris agreement on climate change and the refugee crisis.

The Luxembourg presidency especially contributed to the adoption of council’s conclusions on the Review of the European Neighbourhood Policy, the new Gender action plan in external relations, the ACP investment facility, the biennial report on Policy Coherence for Development, and on the legacy of the European Year for Development – in which the EU and its Member states commit to build on a multi-stakeholders partnership for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

WHAT’S ON THE TABLE FOR THE NEXT TRIO?

Regarding development cooperation, the programme for the next trio Netherlands, Slovakia and Malta will especially address the issues of migration, the review of the European Neighbourhood Policy, the new framework for EU-ACP relations, the implementation of the Paris agreement, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the World Humanitarian Summit.