Devex: European Parliament demands more ambitious aid budget
“The European Parliament called for more aid money and for refocusing it on the Sustainable Development Goals Wednesday as it agreed its position on the European Commission’s proposed 2021-2027 budget for overseas spending. Last summer, the commission proposed uniting the European Union’s development funding streams into a single instrument worth €89.2 billion ($100.3 billion). But NGOs worried that poverty eradication did not feature among the instrument’s objectives — while plans to address migration did. … Other proposals include increasing the budget for the new single instrument — the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument, or NDICI — by almost €4 billion; beefed-up powers to suspend E.U. funding for countries that violate human rights; stronger language in support of sexual and reproductive health rights; raising the target for climate and environment-related spending from 25 percent to 45 percent; having gender equality as a significant objective in 85 percent of aid programs; and increasing the funds eligible to be counted as official development assistance from 92 percent to 95 percent…” (Chadwick, 3/28).