Our Views: contribution to the European agenda

The United Nations Team in Brussels through its work to build and maintain closer working relations with the European Union institutions, namely the European Council, the European Commission and the European Parliament, has used a number of platforms and communication forms to express its views on key issues on the European agenda making sure that UN perspectives are part of the European policy debates. The UN Team actively contributes to the European institutional decision-making processes by using the opportunities available to it to inject into them a UN angle -- making sure that the UN’s voice is heard and international UN norms, standards and ideals are reflected. 

These expressions on the part of the UN Team are intended to highlight the wider global connections to the issues debated on European regional perspectives as well as indicate the regional implications for Europe of wider global developments in connection with the topic on hand. The aim is to facilitate that regionalization goes hand in hand with globalization and that European institutions may also maximize their contribution to effective global governance.

These communications are often in the forms of written responses related to public consultations on various topics ranging from specific issues such as the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy to broader topics such as dealing with the Millennium Development Goals, fragile states or the EU’s 2020 strategy. Other ways of expressing its views include through the sending of letters to European Parliamentarians upon their entry into office in 2009 as well as through letters to a number of Commissioners as they assumed their office in 2010.  The UN frequently participates in public fora and panels offering its expertise on topics of human rights, humanitarian action and development.

Below are the most recent such communications in chronological order with the most recent on top.

2011

• Contribution of United Nations Team in Brussels to the European Commission discussion paper on Climate Change and Migration
  
  
• Contribution of the United Nations Team in Brussels to the European Commission Communication ”The CAP towards 2020: Meeting the food, natural resources, and territorial challenges of the future”
  
  
• Response of the United Nations Team in Brussels to the European Commission Green Paper on EU Development Policy in Support of Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development

2010

• UN Brussels  Team Key messages on climate change and biodiversity (executive summary; full document)
  (8 November 2010)
• UN Brussels contribution to CAP reform consultation
  (3 June 2010)
  
  
• Contribution to Commission public consultation on EU 2020 Strategy
  (15 January 2010, PDF)

2009

• Sample letter to 200 European Parliamentarians upon their entry into office 2009
  (20 July 2009, PDF)