On Wednesday 9 June, the European Parliament endorsed, at second reading, the final text of the European Parliament/EU Council agreement on the regulation establishing the new single financing instrument called the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI, also known as Global Europe) in the 2021-2027 EU budget.
With €79.5 billion (€70.8 billion in 2018 prices), the NDICI streamlines the EU’s external assistance by merging ten existing regulations and the European Development Fund (EDF) into one tool for greater efficiency.
The only amendment, from The Left Group in the European Parliament, which aimed to delete, from the Regulation, Article 9 on Capacity Building of military actors in support of development and security for development, was rejected (65 votes in favour, 521 against, 108 abstentions).
During the debate, a majority of MEPs welcomed this unified instrument for a more flexible use of resources, more coherence and coordination in support of EU foreign policy and sustainable development in partner countries, with an accompanying role for the European Parliament (see EUROPE 12682/11). A Commission delegated regulation completes the programming of the geographical component of the NDICI (see EUROPE 12712/19).
The first high-level geopolitical dialogue between the Commission and the Parliament will take place on 15 June, at a meeting of the Parliament’s Committees on Foreign Affairs and Development.
“We are working hard to set up the thematic programmes”, said the Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, referring to 150 ‘Team Europe’ initiatives (EU/Member States/Financial Institutions). And she added: “We are building a solid foundation to ensure that the spirit and letter of the instrument are respected. We will continue to consult in particular with women and young people, local stakeholders and the private sector in partner countries. I am counting on you to implement the NDICI and make it a success”.
The EU Council was expected to give the green light on Wednesday evening for the NDICI regulation to be formally adopted and apply retroactively from 1 January 2021. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)