EU urges partners to make support last in strategically important regions

what happened

The Baltic Times reported, citing Latvia’s Foreign Ministry, that EU foreign ministers held an informal development-cooperation meeting in Dublin on October 8-9. Latvia’s delegation included Dace Melbarde (New Unity), Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The talks covered the future of global development cooperation and current humanitarian-aid challenges, with participants calling for closer work at EU and international levels and greater participation by financial institutions and private companies.

Melbarde said partnerships should be fair and mutually beneficial, produce concrete gains for partner countries and show the EU’s added value while advancing its strategic, geopolitical and economic interests. She stressed that the EU and its partners need to make political and financial backing effective and durable in regions of strategic importance. Melbarde cited Ukraine as an example of a broad, long-term model that combines humanitarian assistance, development cooperation, reform support, efforts to foster economic growth and investment attraction.

She also highlighted civil society and the contribution of Latvian non-governmental organizations. Examples included Riga TechGirls projects in Africa and Central Asia linking digitalization, women’s economic empowerment and gender equality, and the MARTA Centre’s work in Ukraine to strengthen community resilience and provide psychosocial support. EU member states agreed to deepen international partnerships and deliver humanitarian aid in line with EU values and international law. Representatives of the United Nations, Canada, the United Kingdom, Norway and Iceland, the EBRD, the EIB and the International Rescue Committee also attended. Ireland, the current Council presidency, organized the meeting.

why it matters

For markets, the discussion signals an EU focus on coordinating humanitarian, development and investment efforts in regions that the bloc considers strategically important.

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