1.1. The basics - approach, methods, tools and their interlinkages
The Team Europe approach encompasses the ambition of the EU and the Member States to ensure that their joint and coordinated external action, particularly in the sphere of international development cooperation and partnerships, will continuously: (i) develop as more than the sum of its parts; (ii) contribute to a greater development effectiveness and impact; and (iii) improve the visibility of European external action in partner countries. This approach takes account of the interests of the EU and the Member States in a world that requires renewed efforts (and more resources) to achieve the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement on climate change and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA). In an environment of growing geopolitical challenges, strategic, joint European action has never been more necessary.
Who is part of the Team Europe approach?
The actors following a Team Europe approach are the European Union, the EU Member States (including their development agencies, public development banks, EU DFIs and export credit agencies), the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
A partner of the Team Europe approach is any organisation that is not an actor following a Team Europe approach, but who is an external partner to actors following a Team Europe approach in their work. They may be an implementing partner or an organisation working with us to deliver the results of the Team Europe Initiatives (e.g. development partners, the private sector, civil society organisations, local authorities in partner countries, the United Nations, the International Labour Organization or the World Bank).
Team Europe is more than the sum of its parts
Council Conclusions on Team Europe, 23 April 2021.
Global Gateway will aim at mobilising investments […] taking a Team Europe approach - bringing together resources of the EU, Member States, European financial institutions and national development finance institutions.
Joint Communication on the Global Gateway, 1 December 2021
The Team Europe approach is a consistent overall policy approach, evolving from the idea of joint programming in 20081, the EU’s commitment to the principles of development effectiveness adopted in 20112, to the Team Europe approach response to COVID-19 and the recent EU Global Gateway strategy3. As a continuously evolving approach, which can and should be adapted to take account of changing contexts and lessons learned, the overall aim and guiding principle is for the EU and its Member States to work with partner countries and key stakeholders to ensure and improve development effectiveness and have a greater impact for people living in poverty.
The Team Europe approach is, essentially, about ‘coming together’ and ‘doing together’. Coming together to jointly reflect, analyse and plan, which has its foundations in joint programming. Doing together through joint and coordinated policy dialogues, a division of labour, and parallel and joint actions, projects and communications; which has its foundations in joint implementation. Ideally, actors following a Team Europe approach both ‘come’ and ‘do’ together, though it is possible to just focus on one of these actions as a starting point.
1 Communication on Towards Joint Programming In Research: Working together to tackle common challenges more effectively: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2008:0468:FIN:EN:PDF
2 Fourth High-level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, Busan - https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/busan-partnership-for-effective-development-co-operation_54de7baa-en.html
3 https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024/stronger-europe-world/global-gateway_en