EU is planning a change of course for development aid: Who benefits now?

EU is planning a change of course for development aid: Who benefits now?

European development aid is facing a decisive change of course. The EU plans to compensate for the eliminating funds of the United States only under certain conditions. This announced the EU foreign commissioner Kaja Kallas, who made it clear that the funds were missing in order to fill all gaps that arise. The EU's ambitious strategy provides for future help to use specific help to strengthen their geopolitical role.

Kallas emphasized that payments to recipients could be linked in the future to openly communicate that they are supported by the EU. This measure is intended to increase the visibility of EU engagements, such as the support of the Palestinian Authority and the UN aid for Palestinians (UNRWA). Despite the fact that the EU is the greatest supporters of these organizations, this often remains unknown.

suspension of the aid for Palestinians

Another important aspect of the new course is the decision to suspend aid for Palestinians. This decision was made in the context of the current political situation in the Middle East and started at a meeting of the EU Foreign Minister, whose exact reasons were not disclosed. Observers see this measure a possible reaction to the intensifying conflicts in the region.

Kajas Kallas clearly advocated that the EU must ensure that its support for affected countries and its own citizens will become more visible. The EU wants to be perceived as a reliable and predictable partner, especially in times of political uncertainties. The suspension of the auxiliary funds is an additional challenge.

US aid under pressure

The location is also complicated by the announced reduction in US aids. The new US President Donald Trump had announced that it would withdraw from the financing of the UN aid for Palestinians and to order a temporary stop almost all development aid payments abroad. These payments are currently being checked and should only be resumed if they match Trump's "America First" strategy.

According to the OECD, the United States in 2023 was the largest individual of public development aids with almost $ 65 billion. In comparison, the EU and its Member States came to almost 96 billion euros in the same period, with Germany contributing around 34 billion euros

Overall, it can be seen that the EU is in a critical phase of its development aid policy. In view of the challenges by the United States and the need to strengthen its influence, it will have to be shown how effectively the European initiatives can influence the geopolitical landscape.

Further information is available at Europarl