Celebrating Europe Day 2008
9 May 2008
 Today is Europe Day 2008. The motto of the European Union (EU) is “united in
diversity”, which means Europeans are united in working together for peace and
prosperity, and that Europe's many different cultures, traditions and languages
are a positive asset for the continent.
The world's largest development donor
This is a fascinating time for cooperation on development across Europe. With
its global presence and global influence, the European Union has a unique
standing in the world. It is the world’s largest development aid donor, the
world’s largest single market and the main trading partner of most developing
countries.
The challenge of eliminating global poverty is one of the greatest facing our
generation. Vital progress has been achieved so far, but we still face an
enormous challenge. The EU has the power to make a significant contribution to
development on a global scale. It encourages a multilateral approach to global
public goods, like protecting the environment and preventing climate change, and
acts as a focal point for collective action and a forum for achieving consensus
and fostering best practice by its Member States.
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Providing global leadership
Currently, around 20% of DFID’s budget is channelled through the
 European
Commission (EC). For more information see EC aid
– Top 10 statistics.
There have been substantial improvements in European development cooperation
over the past years. We are keen to ensure that further suitable reforms are put
in place to deliver continued effective outcomes and benefits for developing
countries, and to provide global leadership on challenges such as poverty,
climate change and trade.
Within DFID, the European Union Department works with the rest of DFID, other
Government Departments and EU Member States for further reform of European
development assistance, and the implementation of the
European
Consensus on Development.
Happy Europe Day!
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