This year, the 5th edition of the European Development Days (EDD) will take place in Brussels on 6 and 7 December. Organised by the European Commission and the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, EDD is the leading European forum where the questions and issues about international development cooperation are debated.

The scope and scale of EDD are growing every year, as links with new networks and new partners are made, and new platforms are created. The first four EDD events have established some important characteristics:

 Policy-making “laboratory”

The European Development Days are a policy forum which highlights recent developments and important initiatives “to be continued” in the key areas of development cooperation: peace, security, democracy, good governance, the economic crisis, international finance, free and fair trade, food security, resources, the media, human rights, culture…