Asked on Tuesday 13 May whether humanitarian aid would be maintained in the EU’s post-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), the European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid, Crisis Preparedness and Management, Hadja Lahbib, pledged to defend an ambitious budget that would guarantee the Union’s ability to act swiftly in a rapidly changing world.
Speaking before the European Parliament’s Committee on Development (DEVE), Ms Lahbib stressed that the EU needed to have a robust and adaptable budget to deal with “an ever-changing landscape of risks and threats”.
“We need to be able to react directly in the event of a crisis, and to do that we need not only a strong budget, but also a degree of flexibility”, she said, calling on MEPs to support this ambition in the forthcoming negotiations.
According to the Commission, more than 90% of the current 2021-2027 budget has been pre-allocated to programmes, severely limiting the room for manoeuvre in the face of unforeseen circumstances and forcing the EU to redirect existing funds or create ad hoc financial instruments to deal with recent crises. The EU institution is therefore calling for greater flexibility from 2027 (see EUROPE 13577/20).
Abir Al-Sahlani MEP (Renew Europe, Swedish) asked Ms Lahbib: “What safeguards will you put in place to make sure that humanitarian budgets are strengthened rather than cut as a result of increased flexibility”.
“We need a predictable annual budget, based on a legal basis. And we also need some flexibility”, replied the Commissioner, without giving any further details. (Original version in French by Bernard Denuit)