Oxfam International’s European Union Advocacy Office is an office of the development and humanitarian organization Oxfam, which works to influence European Union (EU) policies that affect developing countries and people living in poverty.

The Oxfam EU office works to influence EU policies across a number of areas linked to reducing poverty - including economic inequality, climate change and food security, as well as humanitarian assistance and the protection of civilians in conflict zones. The office opened in 2002 and is based close to the European Parliament in Brussels. The EU team, made up of 14 staff members and interns, works with Oxfam’s eight European affiliates – Oxfam Great Britain, Oxfam Novib, Oxfam Intermón, Oxfam France, Oxfam Germany, Oxfam Italia, Oxfam Belgium and Oxfam Ireland - and other European civil society organizations.

Oxfam works on development and social issues linked to rates of global poverty, with the Brussels office and Oxfam’s European affiliates carrying out this work at the European level. Oxfam’s work on these issues has included authoring research papers with both a European and global focus, which look into topics such as the effects of austerity policies across Europe on predicted poverty levels. ^[1]

To encourage the European Union to take steps that the organisation believes will reduce extreme economic inequality worldwide, the charity works on a number of different issues. These include advocating for the closure of tax loopholes and the strengthening of laws designed to prevent tax dodging ^[2], monitoring and lobbying on the amount and quality of overseas aid to developing countries ^[3], advocating for inclusive universal health coverage and education. ^[4] and lobbying against governments being overly influenced by political and financial elites. This work at EU level forms part of Oxfam’s global campaign to end extreme inequality and balance the political and economic system. ^[5]

Oxfam also works to prevent EU development policy being undermined by other European policies. These policies include the EU’s renewable energy policy promoting biofuels made from food crops and the EU’s commercial policy, including trade agreements with developing and developed countries. This work has included reports on the potential effects of EU policies affecting global access to healthcare ^[6] and the effect of EU biofuels policy on food prices. ^[7]

The Oxfam EU office aims to highlight perceived failings in the current food system, and attempts to put pressure on governments to enact policies that improve the availability of food in developing countries. As part of this international campaign, Oxfam works to influence the EU to strengthen its climate change policies ^[8], to change European policies that may undermine global food security ^[9] and to invest in support for small scale farmers in developing countries. Primarily, this work is carried out on two key issues – climate change, including financing, and biofuel production.

On EU’s biofuels policy, Oxfam advocates for an end to mandates and targets that encourage European demand for biofuels made from food crops, which research suggests increase the pressure on natural resources ^[10], and harm the environment by encouraging deforestation. ^{[11] [12] [13]}

In seeking to limit climate change, Oxfam advocates for the EU – as historically one of the most polluting group of nations - to invoke policies that reduce carbon pollution ^[14]. A recent Oxfam report called on the EU to invest in sustainable renewable energy and energy efficiency instead of fossil fuels, which research suggests may help to create jobs, improve air quality and help fight climate change. ^[15] Oxfam also advocates for the EU and its member states to contribute towards financial funding for developing countries in order to mitigate the impacts of climate change, as well as promote development in those countries which does not harm the environment. This involves lobbying the EU for contributions to the UN-backed Green Climate Fund, and to demonstrate adequate progression towards the globally agreed target of mobilizing $100 billion a year by 2020 for climate finance. ^[16]

In the past. the Oxfam Brussels Office has also advocated for the introduction of limits on speculation around food commodities in European financial regulation. ^{[17] [18]}

Oxfam's Brussels office advocates for the EU to respond quickly and effectively to unforeseen humanitarian crises. This includes applying pressure on the EU to provide the funding and personnel needed to respond to conflicts, natural disasters and disease epidemics, and encouraging European Union institutions and member states to contribute responsibly to humanitarian responses at a global level. ^[19]

In addition to working independently to influence the EU, Oxfam is also a member of a number of European coalitions that work together to achieve similar goals. They are:

• CONCORD (Confederation for Cooperation of Relief and Development NGOs) ^[20]
• Voluntary Organisations in Cooperation in Emergencies (VOICE) ^[21]
• Crisis Action ^[22]
• European Network of Debt and Development (Eurodad) ^[23]
• Robin Hood Tax coalition in several EU countries
• Finance Watch ^[24]
• Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe ^[25]
• European Peacebuilding Liaison Office (EPLO) ^[26]

Official website

Oxfam International website