If the European development policy keeps the eradication of poverty as its number one objective and is serious about coming into line with the universal sustainable development objectives, the post-2020 EU budget must reflect this dual requirement, said the MEPs of the committee on development of the European Parliament, in Brussels on Wednesday 24 January.
They were voting on their opinion on the forthcoming post-2020 multiannual financial framework (MFF) and went along with the recommendations of Paul Rübig (EPP, Austria) by a considerable majority (17 votes to 2 and two abstentions), by way of their contribution to the position being put together by the European Parliament (see other article).
In order to make the implementation of the sustainable development objectives central to the MFF, the MEPs are calling for the next EU budget to pursue long-term objectives such as eradicating poverty, promoting democracy, the rule of law and human rights. The emphasis must also be laid on health, food, education, water and sanitation, energy, industry, innovation and infrastructure, and governance.
The MEPs stress the need for the EU to honour its financial commitments to the least-developed countries.
The losses in funding for EU development cooperation as a result of Brexit (€2.7 million) should be offset, they argue.
Budgetisation of the EDF. The MEPs are calling for the European Development Fund (EDF) and other development instruments to be included in the EU budget, against a backdrop of an overall increase in the total amount of public development aid (PDA) managed by the EU.
They call for 20% of EU PDA to be earmarked for social inclusion and human development.
They also suggest that the forthcoming MFF take account of unprecedented humanitarian aid requirements as a result of disasters, arguing that this requires a larger reserve for emergency aid and projects to support resilience in the partner countries.
Easy on the trust funds. The MEPs recommend avoiding a proliferation of trust funds, which could undermine the unity of the budget and endanger the transparency and responsibility of aid. The Commission representative told the MEPs that in recent years, only four trust funds had been created. Luxembourg MEP Charles Goerens (ALDE) replied that he was not criticising trust funds themselves so much as the funding promises that had not been kept by the member states. “It is better to act through the budget, in that case”, he said. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)