The webinar titled ‘EU Development Policy with special reference to South Asia’ focused on understanding the distinct characteristics of the EU development policy and the EU’s engagement with South Asia in this regard.

Dr. Muhammad Riaz Shad, Associate Professor IR & Jean Monnet Chair at NUML, highlighted the defining features of EU development policy. He argued that the EU can theoretically be characterized as civilian actor, normative power, and development actor. This characterization indicates that the objective of development carries key importance in EU’s relations with developing and least-developed countries. He specified that the EU development policy aimed at supporting developing countries to achieve sustainable socio-economic development, integration into the world economy and poverty reduction. He particularly underlined the four principles ( 4 Cs) of the EU development policy: complementarity (between EU-MSs development policies); coordination (between EU-MSs in the operation of these policies); coherence (of all EU policies towards development); consistency (of all external actions of the EU).

Dr. Willem van der Geest, Brussels-based Expert on International Trade and Sustainable Development, explained the nature and scope of EU engagement in South Asia within the framework of its development policy. Pointing out the areas of intervention, he said that the EU’s engagement in South Asia was more visible in the areas of trade and social development. Most of the South countries benefit from trade concessions being part of the EU GSP scheme. Of eight South Asian states, Pakistan and Sri Lanka benefit from GSP+, Bangladesh, Nepal and Afghanistan from Everything but Arms (EBA) and India from the standard GSP. Similarly, all South Asian states receive significant EU development assistance that mainly targets education and vocational training. Further, the EU promotes human rights, democracy and governance through financial/technical assistance, political dialogue and trade incentives. The areas that lacks the EU intervention but it has expertise in this regard, is the regional integration in South Asia. Because of India-Pakistan geopolitical rivalry, South Asia remains least integrated region in the world and an enabling environment does not exist for the EU role . If initiative for regional integration comes from the South Asia states, the EU would be in a better position to provide support in this respect.