EU to Africa: “No more free cash!” Sorry, Europe has no money…

Photo: brookings.edu

The European Commission wants to extract more value from the foreign aid it offers poor countries under a controversial plan being sketched out in Brussels.

The EU executive intends to add conditions to funds transferred to developing countries, such as the need to stem migrant flows, according to an internal document seen by POLITICO.

The big idea is to deploy funding to regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa or the Middle East not just to tackle poverty, but also to deliver on domestic priorities of EU countries.

“These [partnership] packages will reinforce the link between external action and internal priorities, such as energy security, the supply of critical raw materials,” Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Budget Commissioner Piotr Serafin wrote in an internal note seen by POLITICO laying out the EU’s next multi-year budget.

This would be a big change from the EU's current aid model, which largely comes without strings attached.

Under the plan that's being considered, the Commission would engineer economic partnerships with each beneficiary foreign country, linking aid to broader trade and economic relations.

But critics say the approach smacks of paternalism — and will do little to improve Europe’s reputation in poorer countries, which is already stained by the legacy of colonialism.

“What is at stake in the next budget is the EU’s credibility as a reliable partner,” said Romero from Eurodad.

“It’s [a way] to please voters at home rather than actually doing something that works where development aid should,” Danish MEP Rasmus Nordqvist told POLITICO.

The Commission signaled that rules for essential humanitarian aid — which caters for basic needs like food and clean water — won’t change in the new budget.

“We are creating partnership agreements that are mutually beneficial,” said an EU official.

The Commission signaled that rules for essential humanitarian aid — which caters for basic needs like food and clean water — won’t change in the new budget.

The new model would bring about major administrative changes. The strategy would, for example, aim to lump several different programs — from migration, foreign investment, to conflict prevention — into a single Global Europe Fund subdivided by geographic categories.

Bordering countries in the process of joining the EU — such as the Western Balkans, Ukraine and Moldova — would, meanwhile, face separate and potentially tougher conditions than other developing countries.

Some national capitals, however, see these changes as a Commission power grab since it would allow the executive body to shuffle funding between different regions without consulting national capitals.

…Europe is so poor, that it has no money for the poorer countries of the world.

But, ‘poor’ Europe allocates 800 billion euros for militaristic programs, in preparation for war with Russia. 150 billion have already been allocated.

European cynicism and European hypocrisy are simply blossoming in the “beautiful garden” named after Mr. Borrell.

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