Organised jointly by the European Commission and the Belgian Presidency, European Development Days will take place in Brussels on 6-7 December 2010. This will be development cooperation’s largest public event and main showcase. The main theme of this fifth edition is the future of European cooperation.

The main purpose of these Days is to bring people together. They will provide an opportunity for all to discuss and debate to the highest level the essential challenges faced by development policies. They will also provide an opportunity to further raise public awareness about the importance of development cooperation and about values such as international solidarity. These are topics of great importance to Belgium which has always played a leading role in this field, whether as a founding member of the European Union or as a donor country. In fact, it was Louis Michel, then European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, who led the creation of the EDD in Brussels in November 2006.

This year, the EDD will primarily be dedicated to the future of European cooperation and to the new actors of the 2010-2020 period (post-MDG, implementation of the External Action Service, post-COP16, etc). In previous years, the event focused on governance in Africa (2006), climate change (2007), the local aspects of development (2008) and citizenship and development (2009). Over 5000 attendees are expected at the 2010 event.

The EDD also address European citizens through socio-cultural events (concerts, fashion shows, etc.) based on the theme of development. Organised by the Belgian Presidency, this programme, called "off" or "outreach", will last from the end of November through mid-December with events in Brussels.

Note: Access to European Development Days requires special accreditation.

To find out more: www.eudevdays.eu and www.dg-d.be