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Beyond Mergers: Charting Germany’s Development Policy in a Changing World

By Stephan Klingebiel / Part of the European Development Policy Outlook Series

Germany’s political landscape is in a state of flux. Following the coalition’s collapse, key policy decisions will play an important role—not only in the upcoming campaign phase but also in shaping the groundwork for a future coalition agreement that will guide the next federal government. While development policy may not be a top priority, it is under considerable pressure.

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The EU’s Engagement in the G20 – One Way to Deal with Global Power Shifts

By Vy Dang, Sven Grimm and Wulf Reiners / Part of the European Development Policy Outlook Series

The EU has been a permanent member of the G20 since the group was founded in 1999, alongside three member states: France, Germany, and Italy (EU3). Additionally, Spain and the Netherlands are regularly invited as guests to the G20 meetings. Strengthening engagement within the G20 has been one of the key priorities in the EU’s multilateral engagement over the past years, as highlighted in the 2024 Joint Communication by the Commission and High Representative for Foreign Affairs.

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Complex Coherence: Unpacking the EU’s Trade and Development Policy Dilemma

By Frederik Stender and Tim Vogel / Part of the European Development Policy Outlook Series

Trade liberalisation, traditionally seen as a means to promote economic growth and prosperity, has increasingly come under scrutiny for its wider adverse impacts. Increased trade is now also held responsible for environmental degradation, fuelling climate change, and growing inequality, both between high-income countries and developing countries and within the latter. Issues such as child labour remain significant and unresolved, further highlighting the complex challenges associated with global trade practices.

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EU Sustainable Finance Strategy: Proposals for Reform and Extension 

By Sören Hilbrich and Kathrin Berensmann / Part of the European Development Policy Outlook Series

The EU has set itself the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% from 1990 levels by 2030 and becoming climate-neutral by 2050. Currently, financial markets are clearly not aligned with this goal as investments in environmentally harmful economic activities are still taking place at a large scale. For instance, according to a recent report of the International Energy Agency, the global energy investments in fossil fuels still amounted to more than USD 1 trillion in 2023 and have even significantly increased since 2020 after a dip during the pandemic.

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