On the General budget of the European Union for the financial year 2026

OPINION

The Committee on Development calls on the Committee on Budgets, as the committee responsible, to incorporate the following into its motion for a resolution:

A. whereas geopolitical instability is increasing, with traditional major donors such as USAID disengaging, whereas this puts pressure on the EU as a principled global actor; whereas it is in Europe’s strategic interest to strengthen its position on the global arena by ensuring the security and economic competitiveness of its Member States; whereas resources and capabilities are limited, making the need to use them rationally and effectively even greater through the setting of clear priorities and improving the supervision and control of resources;

B. whereas, according to UN OCHA, nearly 300 million people require urgent humanitarian assistance and protection, driven by intensifying conflicts, forced displacements, and an increasing number of disasters related to extreme weather events; whereas only 12% of humanitarian requirements were funded by mid-2025; whereas the unprecedented funding gaps leave millions of people in need without assistance; whereas the EU remains committed to upholding the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, independence and impartiality; whereas additional efforts are needed to broaden the donor base for humanitarian action, in order to address the humanitarian funding gap;

C. whereas Article 208 of the TFEU states that the primary objective of the EU’s development cooperation policy is the reduction and, in the long term, the eradication of poverty; whereas EU external financing instruments should contribute to fulfilling the international commitments and objectives the EU has endorsed—particularly the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Paris Agreement, and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework—through a strong commitment to multilateralism;

1. Notes that the margin for Heading 6 in the draft budget is merely EUR 109 million; recalls that the NDICI-GE cushion is nearly exhausted (13% remaining availability until 2027); deplores that the current MFF leaves only limited room for coping with unforeseen challenges, in a transparent manner, which weakens the EU as an external actor in times of polycrises and global geopolitical and financial uncertainty;

2. Stresses that a considerable reinforcement of humanitarian aid is needed as humanitarian crises continue to intensify and are further undermining global and regional stability, as well as Europe's longer-term interests; in this regard, requests that the Emergency Aid reserve (EUR 595 million for 2026) be mobilised entirely for humanitarian needs in third countries;

3. In light of the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza and across the region, additional funding under the Southern Neighbourhood heading is essential to ensure continued access to essential human development services, such as health and primary education for Palestinian refugees, to uphold regional stability, and to reaffirm the EU’s commitment to human rights and international law;

4. Takes note that, following the MFF mid-term revision and the resulting redeployments, the geographic programmes for Sub-Saharan Africa have been reduced over the period 2024-2027; recalls that NDICI-GE Regulation Article 6.2 (a) constitutes a legal obligation for the overall financial envelope assigned to Sub-Saharan Africa to reach “at least 29.18 billion” by 2027, provided that those countries fulfil certain conditions, such as cooperation on readmission; recalls that the recital 26 of NDICI-GE Regulation explicitly says that financial envelopes envisaged for the Neighbourhood and Sub-Saharan Africa geographic programmes should only be increased, given the particular priority the Union gives to those regions;

5. Recalls that continuous and stable EU financial support to developing countries in key areas such as fundamental rights and freedoms, Civil Society Organizations, climate change and humanitarian aid are vital for the EU's ongoing commitments to the Agenda 2030, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and its role as a credible player in global development, as a credible partner in international partnerships and with a long term commitment to the economic and social development of its partners;

6. Reaffirms the vital role of civil society organizations (CSOs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as development actors in advancing the EU’s external action agenda and values; urges their active participation in budget planning and the allocation of earmarked funds across NDICI–Global Europe geographic and thematic programmes, ensuring these are accessible to a diverse range of CSOs at the partner country level;

7. Underlines the need for a meaningful presence of and effective action by EU Delegations to maintain partnerships worldwide, to monitor and manage development cooperation including to foster credible governance commitments, transparent public financial management and measurable progress towards jointly agreed objectives and to reinforce the EU’s role as a global actor especially in light of growing competition from other players; recalls that the effectiveness and long-term impact of EU external funding depend on strong national ownership and constructive cooperation with partner countries;

8. Expresses its concern about the possible downsizing of EU Delegations, including in third countries where significant humanitarian assistance is being provided; considers it essential, on the contrary, to strengthen EU delegations in the most critical countries;

9. Calls on the Commission to develop new instruments based on an evidence-based framework to monitor and assess the distribution and impact of interventions in partner countries, particularly in areas such as job creation, education, living standards, and the development of local enterprises, including SMEs, as this would help optimise and broaden the local impact of current EU interventions and partnerships, and support the design of future projects with lasting effects in partner countries; underlines that such an empirical approach enhances transparency in spending and strengthens the Parliament's oversight role as part of the budgetary authority;

10. Highlights the need to invest in human development, as the US withdrawal from foreign aid will impact, in particular, healthcare and the control and prevention of diseases, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), nutrition, and education, with women and children suffering disproportionately; points out that only with a balanced and coherent set of policies, supported by ambitious and predictable funding, can the EU effectively provide coherent responses; emphasises that the success of the Global Gateway initiative depends on sufficient funding in the 2026 EU budget, and that EU support for infrastructure, energy, digital and education must be backed by adequate financial resources;

11. Underlines that the trans-Atlantic partnership remains crucial to address global challenges of food-insecurity and malnutrition;

12. Emphasises the importance of reinforcing budgetary support to promote vocational education and training, private sector development and job creation in partner countries; underlines that investment in skills and employability, in close cooperation with local and European private sector actors, is essential for fostering sustainable economic growth, reducing irregular migration, and strengthening the EU’s strategic partnerships; highlights in particular the role of SMEs as key drivers of inclusive growth, innovation and local job creation, and calls for targeted support to enhance their access to finance, markets and training opportunities;

13. Considers it necessary to ensure that enough EU programs and funds are used to promote the protection of women's rights and LGBTQ+rights, in particular in countries where these rights are under threat; underlines the need of advancing on gender equality in line with SDG 5, insists in particular on the need to combat violence against women and girls and to promote access to sexual and reproductive health and rights;

14. Calls for the audit and suspension of funds for controversial policies that fail to deliver the expected results, such as the PDCA with Cuba, and for such funds to be redirected to urgent and non-controversial measures;

15. Calls to address the shortcomings in funding aimed at tackling the root causes of migration in North Africa and the Horn of Africa, emphasises the importance of implementing more effective border control mechanisms, combating migrant smuggling; underlines in this context that EU financial support for partner countries must be conditional on tackling illegal migration and cooperation on return and readmission;

16. Welcomes the renewed global framework for financing for development, adopted at the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development held in Seville, which aims to mobilise innovative resources, improve access to finance, and reform the international financial architecture; notes that while it provides momentum for sustainable development, the level of concrete commitments remains limited, and progress on key issues such as debt relief is still insufficient.

ANNEX: DECLARATION OF INPUT

The rapporteur for opinion declares under his exclusive responsibility that he did not include in his opinion input from interest representatives falling within the scope of the Interinstitutional Agreement on a mandatory transparency register, or from representatives of public authorities of third countries, including their diplomatic missions and embassies, to be listed in this Annex pursuant to Article 8 of Annex I to the Rules of Procedure.

INFORMATION ON ADOPTION BY THE COMMITTEE ASKED FOR OPINION