“Changing the paradigm” of the European Union’s external affairs policies, including development and security issues, “first of all means changing [it] in our heads and in our hearts. It is this conviction that ‘equal partnership’ cannot be just a word or a piece of language; it must be a partnership of equals based on sincerity, mutual interest and our common perception that the world is changing before our eyes.”

These were the sentiments shared by Charles Michel, President of the European Council, in his opening remarks at the European Development Days (EDDs) in Brussels, Belgium, a yearly European forum for the promotion of international partnerships organized by the European Commission. The EDDs this year ran from 21 to 22 June.

Other speakers at the opening of the event included Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and Her Majesty Queen Mathilde of the Belgians.

“The BIC attends the EDDs to learn, alongside others, how Europe’s engagement abroad can be shaped according to the understanding that all parts of the world have an irreplaceable contribution to make to our global society,” said Melania Mora, who participated on behalf of the Baha’i International Community’s (BIC) Brussels Office.

The theme of this year’s forum was the Global Gateway, a European external investment initiative aimed at helping “tackle the most pressing global challenges, from fighting climate change, to improving health systems, and boosting competitiveness and security of global supply chains”.

The BIC’s contribution at the European Development Days called for this initiative to explore how any form of investment, financial or other, can go hand in hand with deeper considerations on how the global order can be reshaped.

“A central concern at the heart of Europe’s relationship with the rest of the world must be to build a collective consensus on how global challenges can be addressed. Lasting transformation requires any meaningful partnership to acknowledge the limitations of the current global order and give rise to a joint reading of how this order can be reshaped,” added Ms. Mora. 

In the months to come, the Baha’i International Community in Brussels will host a series of meetings with different organizations and policymakers to continue exploring what paradigm shifts will allow for long term solutions to common global challenges.