In its draft budget plan for 2028-2034 (see EUROPE 13682/1), the European Commission proposes to structure the ‘Global Europe’ Fund around six pillars - five with a regional focus and one with a global scope - by mobilising an envelope of €200.3 billion. This represents a significant increase on current funds (€109 billion, including guarantees and various investment instruments).
Through this reorganisation, the Commission intends to provide the EU with the resources it needs to implement its “new European Economic Foreign Policy” and thus “strategically” strengthen the Union’s role on the international stage.
Regional pillars. According to the figures communicated to the EU’s co-legislators on Wednesday 16 July, €42.6 billion would go to the Enlargement and Neighbourhood East countries, €42.5 billion to the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf, €59.7 billion to Sub-Saharan Africa, €16.7 billion to Asia and the Pacific and €9 billion to the Americas and the Caribbean.
Global pillar. €14.9 billion would be devoted to the global pillar. The Commission officially mentions in this section: the funding of initiatives via international organisations such as the United Nations and themes such as “the fight against terrorism, global health, cybersecurity, disinformation, manipulation and foreign interference, as well as international governance of the climate and the oceans”. A further €14.8 billion would be set aside to respond to emerging crises and unforeseen needs.
Tools. The European Commission is provides for six 'Global Europe’ tools: - policy-based budget support; - pre-accession assistance; - development cooperation, international partnerships and strategic investments, in particular through the ‘Global Gateway’ initiative; - actions to promote peace, security and rapid response; - macro-financial assistance; - humanitarian aid.
With this overhaul, the EU institution is aiming for simplification, flexibility, coherence and impact.
“The Fund ensures our external investments are aligned with internal priorities: competitiveness, the green transition, digitalisation, and irregular migration”, stated the European Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jozef Síkela, on Thursday 17 July, who sees this draft Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) as an opportune basis for the “mutually beneficial partnerships” that he champions whenever he travels.
An indicative figure of €25 billion has been announced for humanitarian aid. “This is more than double the current budget profile”, a senior European official pointed out on Thursday afternoon.
“Our budget is more than numbers. It’s all about investing in people. Making our societies more equal and inclusive, keeping people safe and prepared for crises, strengthening global solidarity”, said Hadja Lahbib, European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, on X.
Civil society asks for guarantees. The Concord network, which represents some 30 European NGOs active in development cooperation, said on Wednesday evening that the Commission had “a forward-looking vision for the EU’s role in the world”.
However, the network warns that “without the right safeguards, this funding could be steered by short-term political priorities, rather than long-term development and humanitarian needs from partner countries”.
NGOs are calling on the co-legislators to ensure that funds reach the people and regions most in need.
In addition, the international organisation ActionAid is calling for “a clear distinction in the proposal between development policy and economic diplomacy”.
“A bigger ‘Global Europe’ budget sounds good - but without a clear vision, it’s just a foreign policy toolbox chasing EU exclusive interests. By sidelining development, the EU risks reducing partnerships to politicised, transactional deals”, said Javier Garcia, a head of region at ActionAid, on Thursday.
Complementary programmes. Other programmes would complement the 'Global Europe’ strand in the European Commission’s proposal: €3.3 billion would be used to support the overseas countries and territories (including Greenland) and €999 million to finance actions under the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP).
Amounts are also earmarked for sustainable fisheries agreements (€1.3 billion), specific actions (€349 million), institutional prerogatives (€775 million), a budgetary flexibility margin (€8 billion) and another combined set of actions and prerogatives (€2.5 billion).
See the proposal for a regulation establishing ‘Global Europe’: https://aeur.eu/f/hxe ; and the annex specifying certain objectives: https://aeur.eu/f/hxf (Original version in French by Bernard Denuit)