The European Parliament’s Committee on Development (DEVE) will return to work on Monday 1 September, when it will consider various proposed amendments to heading (6) ‘Neighbourhood and the World’ of the European Union’s budget for 2026 (see EUROPE 13678/30). 29 amendments will be put to the vote by MEPs on Monday evening.
Humanitarian aid. Among notable proposals, Charles Goerens (Renew Europe, Luxembourgian), Barry Andrews (Renew Europe, Irish), Lukas Mandl (EPP, Austrian), Niels Geuking (EPP, German), Carla Tavares (S&D, Portuguese), Udo Bullmann (S&D, German), Erik Marquardt (Greens/EFA, German) and Damien Carême (Greens/EFA, French) are proposing to increase the humanitarian aid budget by €91.7 million (+5% compared to the European Commission’s draft budget plan - see EUROPE 13653/27) in order to respond to the expected increase in humanitarian crises in 2026 and to guarantee a solid budgetary basis, rather than relying on one-off solutions.
For his part, György Hölvényi (PfE, Hungarian) is arguing for a more limited increase (+€18.9 million in commitments and +€6.5 million in payments) with one condition: that 10% of the funds be earmarked for education, which he considers essential to ensure continuity in schooling and the resilience of children affected by conflict. In addition, the MEP is proposing to create a new budget sub-section specifically dedicated to funding education.
Crisis in the Middle East. In the “southern neighbourhood” sub-section, Mimmo Lucano (The Left, Italian) recommends a budget increased by €80 million in commitments in order to “finance UNRWA’s essential activities (...) amidst funding crisis and increased needs”.
Another amendment with a similar objective, put forward by Mrs Tavares, Mr Bullman, Mr Goerens and Mr Marquardt, proposes an additional allocation of 71.2 million.
Fundamental rights. When it comes to fundamental rights, Mr Hölvényi is proposing to reallocate 15% of the planned commitments (-17.3 million) in order to “support access to quality education, as a universal right, that contributes to democratisation and responsible citizenship”.
For this same budget sub-section, Mrs Tavares, Mr Goerens and Mr Marquardt recommend an additional commitment of €4.6 million. “This reinforcement seeks to strengthen EU cooperation and partnership with civil society in promoting human rights and democracy - particularly for vulnerable groups in fragile and sensitive contexts”, say the MEPs.
Civil society organisations. The funding of civil society organisations (CSOs) is totally questioned by Marc Jongen (ESN, German).
Mr Hölvényi, for his part, advocates a 15% reduction in commitment appropriations (-23.6 million) in order to “increase efficiency and impact of EU development cooperation” by redirecting funds towards education.
Two Polish MEPs from the Conservative and Reformist Group (ECR) are proposing a reduction of 7.8 million. “While civil society remains an important pillar of democratic development and governance promotion, EU funding for CSOs is not always sufficiently targeted, efficient, or results-oriented”, justify Małgorzata Gosiewska and Mariusz Kamiński.
The Left is calling for an additional 10 million, while Mrs Tavares, Mr Goerens and Mr Marquardt are arguing for an additional 5 million, considering the “vital” role of NGOs and CSOs in implementing EU projects in fragile contexts.
Africa. Three amendments, tabled jointly by MEPs from the pro-European coalition groups (EPP, S&D, Renew Europe, and Greens/EFA), propose to increase by around 1% the commitment appropriations for West Africa, East and Central Africa, Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean region, in order to compensate for the budget cuts made during the mid-term review of the 2024-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework.
The aim is to ensure that funding for sub-Saharan Africa reaches the minimum threshold of €29.18 billion set by the NDICI-Global Europe Regulation, by making use of two budgetary mechanisms: the NDICI ‘cushion’ reserve, which allows unforeseen needs to be met, and the margin of heading 6, i.e. the budgetary space not yet allocated under the ceiling.
South Africa. Mr Jongen is proposing to reduce the commitment appropriations earmarked for the Southern Africa and Indian Ocean regions by €82.4 million, because, according to the nationalist MEP, this region “is overall characterized by persistently high corruption, and especially in the Republic of South Africa”.
“The indigenous minority of the Boers is subject to state persecution and harassment due to their European ancestry. Reducing payments to the region by 15% is an appropriate response to these grievances”, explains Mr Jongen.
Other targeted amendments are proposed for global challenges, such as adaptation to climate change, irregular migration, and economic integration.
See all the amendments: https://aeur.eu/f/i5t (Original version in French by Bernard Denuit)