The proposals adopted by the Commission highlighted the role of trade as one of the key drivers to support development, stimulate growth and to lift people out of poverty. For this reason, it proposed a number of ways to improve the effectiveness of EU trade and development policy. In addition, the EU calls for all developed economies to match its significant levels of market access to developing countries.

The European Commission adopted a range of proposals to make trade and development instruments work hand-in-hand to ensure real poverty reduction across the world. Thus, the EU is currently looking into better ways of differentiating between developing countries to ensure the world's poorest countries receive our biggest help. In 2010, the Commission already organised a conference focused on the European Union's trade policy towards developing countries.

In order to achieve this goal, the Commission proposes a number of ways to improve the effectiveness of EU trade and development policy which includes, reforming the EU's preferential trade schemes to focus more on the poorest countries, increasing the use of EU instruments to promote foreign direct investment, facilitating developing country exporters, especially small operators, to enter the EU, assisting developing countries to improve their domestic business environment, meet international quality, labour and environmental standards and take better advantage of trade opportunities offered by open and integrated markets, and using trade measures to help mitigate the effects of natural disasters and tackle conflict catalysts, including in mining activities.

Furthermore, the Commission called for all developed economies to match its significant levels of market access to developing countries, and on emerging economies to assume more responsibility for opening their markets to LDCs through preferential schemes but also on a non-discriminatory basis towards the rest of the WTO membership, of which four-fifths are developing countries.