The International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) welcomes the recent resolution adopted by the European Parliament on 26 March 2026 entitled ‘Global Gateway – past impacts and future orientation’.
As the first European Parliament report dedicated to Global Gateway, this resolution sets an important political direction on key issues such as transparency, governance, and funding. It will play a crucial role in shaping upcoming negotiations, particularly for the next Multiannual Financial Framework (2028–2034) and the Global Europe instrument, as well as any future legislative proposals.
We are especially encouraged to see cooperatives explicitly recognised in the report. The Parliament calls for concrete measures to ‘facilitate the participation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), including cooperatives and social economy enterprises, in the Global Gateway including by establishing streamlined processes and dedicated financial windows, targeted outreach, simplified access to tenders and support mechanisms to enhance their international competitiveness’ (paragraph 48).
Further, the resolution calls to ‘provide evidence about the benefits of Global Gateway projects for local enterprises, especially SMEs, sustainable and inclusive businesses such as cooperatives and social enterprises, local communities and the workforce in partner countries’ (paragraph 72).
We particularly welcome the report’s call for creating an enabling environment that promotes local ownership, supports partner countries in building resilient systems for health, education and social protection, and places local communities at the heart of Global Gateway initiatives.
“The ICA strongly supports the emphasis on local ownership and community-centred development. Cooperatives are uniquely positioned to deliver on these objectives by creating quality local jobs, strengthening resilient value chains, and ensuring a more equitable distribution of economic benefits”, said Jeroen Douglas, Director-General of the ICA.
Furthermore, we acknowledge the report’s recognition of civil society concerns and its emphasis on monitoring and evaluating the local impact of investments. Meaningful engagement with civil society is essential to ensure that Global Gateway delivers tangible and lasting value.
This development builds on the ICA’s continued engagement with EU institutions on cooperative development and international partnerships. Recent milestones include the ICA’s participation in the Policy Forum on Development and exchanges with the European Commission, as well as ongoing work sharing key #Coops4Dev🌍 learnings with EU Delegations and reinforcing the ICA’s involvement in EU policy discussions on development cooperation.
The ICA encourages the European Commission to build on this position in the continued development of the Global Gateway initiative, ensuring that cooperatives and other sustainable business models become strong partners and key actors in rolling out programs and contributing to tangible benefits and local ownership.
Read the full resolution here: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-10-2026-0104_EN.pdf.
