More than targets: How the EU promotes democracy, human rights and gender equality through Global Europe and beyond

In addition to poverty eradication, advancing democracy, upholding human rights, and promoting gender equality are central objectives of NDICI-Global Europe, the European Union's financial tool for neighborhood, development, and international cooperation. This paper evaluates how effectively the EU has integrated these objectives into NDICI-Global Europe planning, specifically examining programming documents and early implementation stages.

While initial reports suggest that the EU is generally progressing towards meeting NDICI-Global Europe targets, these statistics only provide a partial view and must translate into tangible actions. The promotion of democracy, human rights, and gender equality extends beyond NDICI-Global Europe and is primarily carried out within the broader framework of the EU's foreign and development policy.

The EU should contemplate the optimal integration of its diverse approaches to promoting democracy, human rights, and gender equality, encompassing mainstreaming, targeted initiatives, and conditionalities. It is crucial to ensure that pertinent policies and instruments, such as gender action plans and those on human rights and democracy, align cohesively and are systematically integrated into dialogues with partner nations.

Fostering democracy, upholding human rights, and advancing gender equality are shared responsibilities of the EU and its member states, necessitating a strengthened Team Europe approach to elevate the EU's stance on these matters. Country ownership and engagement from all stakeholders are imperative, and the EU should ensure comprehensive involvement at all levels to ensure that these principles and values are addressed and executed meaningfully and sustainably.