Statement by President Von der Ley at the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development

“Seville, 30 June 2025

Mr. President of the Conference,

Secretary-General Guterres,

Presidents,

Prime Ministers,

Your Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Let me start with a key fact: last year, development aid worldwide stood at just over $200 billion. The annual investment gap on the Sustainable Development Goals, as Pedro Sánchez has pointed out, is in the trillions of dollars. To close this gap, we need a paradigm shift, new ways of mobilising much more finance. This is at the heart of the “Seville Commitment” we have agreed today, and it is exactly what Europe aims to achieve, together with our global partners.

I would like to make three points in three minutes: firstly, how to make the most of public investment. The European Union provides 42% of global development aid. We are proud of this, and we will continue our commitment. At the same time, it is good that the number of new donors is growing. So why not join forces and create joint investment programmes that leverage our respective strengths for maximum impact? This is the agreement we have just reached with India to invest together in third countries. And we will make the same offer to future donors who share our objectives. Second, domestic taxation. It is the most sustainable source of financing for services such as healthcare or education, and a fair tax system is vital to attract private investment. This is why we must implement the G20 and OECD agreement on international corporate tax rules. This will strengthen the revenues of developing economies. It is also a question of fairness, as everyone must pay their fair share. Thirdly, we need the private sector. The private sector must be involved, and this is at the heart of Europe’s Global Gateway investment programme. We are attracting private capital for transformative development projects that generate local growth and jobs. In the first three years, Global Gateway has mobilised almost €180 billion in investments in partner countries. We are on track to exceed our initial target of €300 billion in seven years. And we will announce further progress at the Global Gateway Forum in Brussels in October. So, to conclude, our message today is simple: Europe is ready to invest and to innovate. In these times of global uncertainty, you can count on us to support multilateralism. And to my good friend Ngozi, I have listened to you very carefully: you have my full support for WTO reform.

Thank you very much and I hope this conference will be a success”.

More information: European Commission