Holding Europe back: Italy and EU development policy

Abstract

The relationship between the European Union (EU) and the developing world has undergone a number of significant changes since the end of the cold war. Following a lengthy discussion on the future of the Lomé Convention, the Cotonou Agreement marked the beginning of a new partnership between the European Community (EC) and the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of states. Moreover, EC development policy has gradually become global, with substantial programmes being started in the Mediterranean, Latin America and Central and Eastern Europe. Meanwhile, not only have resources managed at the EC level increased, but Member States have also taken various initiatives to coordinate their bilateral policies. The commitments made in March 2002 and May 2005 to boost quantity and enhance quality of aid and the adoption of the European Consensus on Development in December 2005 are two tangible signs of a desire to improve the effectiveness and visibility of EU aid. From a theoretical point of view, the conventional position is that development policy in the EU reflects the preferences of France and the UK, and the policy entrepreneurship of the European Commission. More generally, two broad tendencies have dominated the Member States’ attitudes to European development cooperation: ‘regionalist’—initially promoted by France and Belgium and then by Portugal and Spain—which has recognized the strategic links with former colonies; ‘globalist’—initially supported by Germany and the Netherlands and then by the UK and the Nordic countries—which has been more concerned with poverty levels. The role of Italy in EU development policy is generally overlooked in these analyses. This omission would seem unjustified, considering that Italy has progressively increased the share of resources channelled through the EU. Similarly, the literature on Italy in the EU concentrates on few issues, namely, the common agricultural policy (CAP), regional policy, economic and monetary