European ministers with responsibility for development had the opportunity in Brussels on Tuesday 22 May to give their initial reaction to the Commission proposal on the single EU external policy financing instrument in the draft multiannual financial framework for the period from 2021 to 2027 (see EUROPE 12023).
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, who chaired this meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council in its development format, was able to gauge the reaction of the delegations on this general instrument which will be allocated an envelope of €123 billion. But she made no comment as the final press briefing was cancelled.
According to a European source, comments were general, with the details of the proposals expected only on 14 June (see EUROPE 12015).
A doubt arose: ministers wonder if this new budget structure will be able to meet the needs of the EU’s development policy. Some countries, such as Germany, France and Portugal, wonder if merging eight instruments into one perhaps ran the risk of loss of visibility, that is, in terms of information on funding allocated to the different objectives.
There was similar querying on the budgetisation of the European Development Fund (EDF), where France, Portugal, the United Kingdom and Poland wonder if it will not remove a degree of flexibility and visibility for the member states.
German Economic Cooperation and Development Minister Gerd Müller pointed out that the EU currently spends €420 billion over seven years on agriculture and only €42 billion on development policy. He was critical that the new budget did nothing to alter this ratio.
Speaking to the press, he said that the draft budget seemed to him to be “completely inadequate for the future of relations between the EU and Africa”.
“We’re speaking today about the post-Cotonou agreement, and that means about the future of EU policy for Africa. The signal has to be that the EU needs to strengthen the defence policy and foreign policy and development policy. The 2021-2017 budget must send out a strong signal.”
“For Africa, the investment would be up from €6 to €7 billion per year. That’s not nearly enough. The EU must begin a political offensive on behalf of Africa, which would require a doubling of the budget, a new design of trade policy and a new investment framework. Africa is the EU’s greatest responsibility”, he stated, arguing that the financial transaction tax, which could bring in €60 billion per year for the EU, should be earmarked for the policy for Africa. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)