In 2019, despite a moderate increase of €3 billion, Official Development Assistance from the EU in relation to its GNI decreased for the third consecutive year (see EUROPE 12501/21, 12469/22). This was prior to the pandemic, warns CONCORD, the European confederation of relief and development NGOs, in its annual AidWatch report published on 28 October.
The EU’s commitment to reach 0.7% of its GNI by 2030 has been repeatedly reiterated.
However, “at this rate, the 0.7% of real aid as a percentage of GNI will not be reached before 2070”, complains CONCORD, concerned about the threat this poses to the achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs).
At €78 billion, the EU’s collective ODA for last year reached 0.46% of its GNI (compared to 0.51% in 2016).
Luxembourg (1.05%), Sweden (0.99%) and Denmark (0.71%) are still the only Member States to meet the target. The United Kingdom, which was still a member of the EU in 2019, also respects it (0.7%).
Germany, the largest donor, has only 33% and France 47%. They are both way off the mark!
In total, eight Member States increased their ODA/GNI ratio, with significant increases for Cyprus (94%), Malta (29%) and Finland (27%).
On the contrary, 13 Member States recorded a decrease, with the largest decreases for Estonia (7%) and Poland (4%).
CONCORD advocates the introduction of a financial transaction tax to fund ODA and makes recommendations to the EU institutions and Member States to respect the Leave No One Behind principle for the UN Agenda for Sustainable Development in the European Recovery Plan and to ensure that ODA is used appropriately for poverty and inequality reduction.
The report also provides a preliminary assessment of the Comprehensive EU Response to Covid-19 in partner countries. While welcoming its adoption, CONCORD stressed that the April financial package did not include any new money and expressed concern about the lack of transparency on the data. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)