Belgium and Sweden launch Co-Presidency of the Practitioners’ Network for European Development Cooperation

Brussels, 23 April 2025 – Enabel, the Belgian agency for international cooperation, together with Sida, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, have today officially launched the Co-Presidency of the Practitioners’ Network for European Development Cooperation (PN).

 
This announcement was made during the Annual Members’ General Assembly (AMGA) in Vienna, where the handover from the previous Co-Presidency, Expertise France and ADA, took place. The Practitioners’ Network is a platform of European organisations which supports knowledge exchange, joint action and strategic dialogue among members and with EU institutions. For the Belgian Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, the PN offers an important channel to strengthen Belgium’s voice in shaping and implementing the EU’s external cooperation agenda.

The Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in close collaboration with Enabel, continues to play an important role in promoting international cooperation, with a strong focus on the EU’s Global Gateway Strategy.

“International cooperation is not only a matter of global solidarity. It is a strategic investment that will bring numerous benefits to Belgium, its businesses and its citizens,” said Jean Van Wetter, Managing Director of Enabel.
 

Strategic focus

During the 2025–2026 Co-Presidency, Sida and Enabel will concentrate on strengthening the PN’s contribution to the EU’s external action through the following key priorities:

• Reinforcing the PN’s strategic role and contributions to the EU Global Gateway Strategy, including through sectoral dialogues on energy, critical raw materials, migration and digitalisation.
• Deepening dialogue with EU institutions during the upcoming negotiations for the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF).
• Promoting joint implementation within the Team Europe approach, including reflections on post-war reconstruction in Ukraine, Gaza and Syria.
• Strengthening partnerships with the private sector and aligning technical assistance with financial instruments, building collaboration with the Association of European Development Finance Institutions (EDFI) and the Joint European Financiers for International Cooperation (JEFIC).
• Engaging with international forums and key EU-level events such as the Global Gateway Forum and the Ukraine Recovery Conference, to highlight the role of European international cooperation organisations.

This joint Enabel-Sida leadership marks a new chapter for the PN, strengthening the EU’s collective approach to global challenges through more coordinated, strategic and visible international cooperation.

The Practitioners’ Network brings together 25 European actors in international cooperation, including ADA, AECID, AICS, BC, Camoes, CFCA, CPMA, CzechAid, DANIDA/MFA, Enabel, ESTDEV, the European Commission, Expertise France, FCDO, FIAP, GIZ, the Goethe-Institut, LuxDev, MFA Finland, MFA NL, RVO, RoAid, Sida, SlovakAid and SNV.