On 1 May and for one year, Enabel and LuxDev took on the co-presidency of the European Practitioners' Network.
The Practitioners' Network brings together 17 European governmental agencies with a view of jointly implementing projects of the European Development Cooperation. The network is the partner of choice of the European Commission for executing European development projects worldwide.
In line with the EU’s intended increased European cooperation, the network is the means of excellence to give form to #TeamEurope in the field.
"The development agencies of the EU Member States lead by example and work closely together. The Practitioners' Network leverages the European efforts to tackle the global challenges," said Jean Van Wetter, Managing Director of Enabel.
During a video conference with Koen Doens, Director-General of the European Commission’s department for International Cooperation and Development, and the CEOs of all partners, Jean Van Wetter highlighted the added value of the European Member State agencies as strategic and priority partners to implement the European Union development policy in partner countries.
"The Presidency," he said, "wishes to make concrete progress in terms of joint actions, in particular between small and big, and young and well-established agencies, not only from a financial point of view, but also through more strategic and technical exchange. Therefore, the ambition is to create a Team Europe Task Force within the PN which will stimulate the dialogue and elaborate a concrete partnership resulting in a significant portfolio of actions carried out by consortia of agencies. It will definitely reinforce the message of a coordinated European action."
The Presidency also believes that the reinforcement of health systems and managing the socio-economic impact of the COVID crisis are immediate priorities. In the medium term, climate change and the implementation of the Green Deal in Africa will be the key theme to be addressed. The Team Europe Task Force will have to play a lead role in elaborating joint flagship initiatives on these themes to be implemented in partnerships with the European Commission services and with strong partner countries’ ownership.
For more on the Practitioners' Network: www.dev-practitioners.eu