EU outlines priorities for post-2015 talks

A view of the European Parliament hemicycle in Strasbourg, France. The parliament passed a report that outlines the bloc’s priorities in post-2015 development framework negotiations. Photo by: European Union

Eradicating poverty, combating inequalities and protecting human rights are among the key priorities that the European Union must defend in next year’s negotiations on the future sustainable development goals, the European Parliament confirmed in a resolution adopted this week during its plenary session in Strasbourg.

MEPs discussed and passed a report outlining EU priorities in the upcoming debates on the future global development framework set to replace Millennium Development Goals when they expire at the end of 2015.

“We cannot continue to do business-as-usual in the new framework”, Davor Ivo Stier, the Croatian center-right MEP who penned the report, told Devex. “We need to address the real root causes of poverty instead of curing the symptoms.”

Although several milestones have been accomplished since the MDGs were adopted in 2000, he said, progress has been uneven and there’s definitely still much work ahead on fighting poverty and promoting sustainable, inclusive growth.

“The MDGs have done a lot, but progress has not been equally shared both within and between countries,” Stier explained. “There are resources for all people, but unfortunately, there is no justice for all.”

MEPs agreed in Strasbourg that ending poverty and combating inequality should be the central tenets for the post-2015 global development agenda. Likewise, measures to mitigate climate change and reduce disaster risk must be mainstreamed into global development policy.

The European Parliament also wants the EU to push for a human rights-based approach, stressed the importance of equal access to health and education and defended a stand-alone goal on gender equality.