Launch of the European Year for Development

On 9 January, the European Year for Development is launched officially in Riga at the start of the Latvian presidency of the Council of the European Union. European Commission President, Jean-Claude Juncker i, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini i, the Latvian Prime Minister, Laimdota Straujuma i, and EESC President, Henri Malosse, are among the speakers at the opening.

The EESC has played an influential role in establishing 2015 as the official European Year for Development (EYD2015). In 2013, the EESC adopted an opinion on the European Year of Development with rapporteur Andris Gobiņš, which provided firm support for the first ever European Year with a strong global and rights-based dimension. The idea has been consistently promoted by the EESC together with other civil society organisations, the most prominent of which was CONCORD, until the EYD2015 received official approval from the EU institutions in the spring of 2014.

The EYD2015 seeks to stimulate the active interest of European citizens in development cooperation and foster a sense of responsibility and opportunity as regards their participation in policy formulation and implementation. In the spring of 2015, the EESC will be organising a major conference in Brussels bringing together the various sectors of European organised civil society to examine its role in development cooperation.