On the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2027

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 it is the Union's strategic interest to foster credible, reliable and inclusive mutually beneficial international partnerships, which strengthen its own security, prosperity and resilience, while continuing to work towards poverty eradication, economic development and self-sufficiency in partner countries, the fulfilment of international commitments such as the Sustainable Development Goals, and tackling fragility where it is most needed; whereas these partnerships are an opportunity for the EU to step up as a global leader in development cooperation and humanitarian aid, and a vehicle to project EU values;

B.whereas Official Development Assistance (ODA) is projected to decline further in 2027, returning to approximately 2020 levels despite growing global development needs;

C.whereas Least Developed Countries (LDCs) are expected to experience a reduction of between 13 % and 25 % in net bilateral ODA providers in 2025, while countries in sub-Saharan Africa could face declines of between 16 % and 28 %, disproportionately affecting those with the greatest development challenges;

D.whereas according to Global Humanitarian Overview 2026 more than 250 million people require humanitarian assistance and protection, due to protracted or intensifying conflicts, forced displacements, and an increasing number of disasters related to extreme weather, whereas a major cyclical climate phenomenon is expected to worsen drought, flood, heat and storm conditions across many world regions in the second half of 2026, with major knock-on effects into 2027; as reflected in the recent first-ever joint FAO–WFP Anticipatory Action Appeal for USD 202 million to protect 8.8 million people in 22 high-risk countries from the forecast impacts of this extreme weather pattern; calls on the Union to cooperate closely with international partners in addressing the most urgent global challenges;

E.whereas there is need for adequate funding, notably in fragile contexts, to apply the humanitarian-development-peace nexus approach; whereas less than 30% of global humanitarian assistance needs were met by mid-June 2026; whereas the EU and the international partners must uphold the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, independence and impartiality; whereas additional efforts and enhanced donors’ coordination are needed to broaden the donor base for humanitarian action, in order to address the growing humanitarian funding gap;

F.whereas Union development contracts should guarantee fair competition by excluding companies from non-allied countries that engage in proven, state-subsidized dumping;

G.whereas schooling during crises requires extra support to keep children from losing their education;

1.Notes that the margin for Heading 6 for 2027 draft budget is EUR 100 million and that there is only limited room for coping with new challenges which weakens the EU as an external actor in times of global geopolitical and financial uncertainty; reminds that the NDICI-GE Cushion was quickly exhausted while a number of its past mobilisations were not due to unforeseen challenges; notes that the allocation for external action must address an increasing number of geopolitical, humanitarian and development priorities; stresses therefore the need to maximise the effectiveness of EU external spending, in close partnership with partner countries and international partners;

2.Stresses that a considerable reinforcement of humanitarian aid is needed and that the proposed baseline of EUR 1866 million for 2027 is not commensurate with the expected needs when humanitarian crises are intensifying and spreading across the world and millions of additional people are likely to face displacement and hunger; in this regard, reminds that the Emergency Aid reserve which is 607 million for 2027 in current prices must fulfil its original purpose; stresses that the EU should prioritise humanitarian funding for the most acute and immediate needs, including food, shelter and essential services and that the widening humanitarian funding gap requires even stronger cooperation and burden sharing with other international partners, multilateral organisations and like-minded partners;

3. Expresses concern in view of the Commission proposal to use reflows from the EFSD provisioning entirely to finance the debt servicing costs for the Ukraine Support Loan instead of using these reflows across all eligible regions in line with the geographic envelopes in NDICI-GE and in line with Regulation (EU) 2026/995 as regards increased efficiency of the External Action Guarantee;

4.Reiterates its concern that following the MFF mid-term revision (MTR), the geographic programmes for Sub-Saharan Africa have been reduced for the 2024-2027 period; underlines the importance of maintaining strong partnerships with Sub-Saharan Africa while recognising the need to respond to evolving geopolitical challenges and emerging priorities; recalls that the NDICI-GE Regulation's Article 6.2(a) establishes a minimum allocation for Sub Saharan Africa of at least 29,18 billion by 2027, which constitutes a legal obligation; calls on the Commission to ensure that the 2027 budget closes this gap and fully respects the geographic priorities laid down in the regulation;

5.Highlights the need to reinforce support for nutrition and education, reminds that women and children are disproportionately affected by aid cuts and crises; calls for reinforced funding for healthcare in particular responses in humanitarian and public health emergencies, such as disease control, prevention and surveillance, underlines that the recent Ebola outbreak has demonstrated that such investments in close cooperation with international partners are necessary to effectively identify, manage and contain global health threats; highlights that only with a balanced and coherent set of policies, supported by ambitious and predictable funding, can the EU effectively provide coherent responses and support to developing countries in tackling their immediate and long-term structural challenges;

6.In light of the Middle East crisis and worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza and across the region, additional funding 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 reaffirm the EU’s commitment to human rights and international law, under the Southern Neighbourhood heading;

7. Notes that climate-related expenditure is currently expected to remain below the 30% target set out in the NDICI-GE Regulation; calls on the Commission to continue its efforts to make sure that the spending targets for climate (30 %) and biodiversity (10 %) are fully achieved by the end of the current MFF; stresses that achieving these targets is essential to strengthen the resilience of partner countries to the growing impacts of climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental degradation, which are increasingly recognised as key drivers of poverty, food insecurity, displacement and instability;

8. Notes that spending under NDICI-GE for actions supporting the management and governance of migration and forced displacement has exceeded the regulation's indicative target of 10%; observes that this spending, combined with mid-term review adjustments, reduces the proportion of funding available for other sectors;

9. Expresses grave concern about the drastic reduction of development and humanitarian aid by the world's largest donors, including several EU Member States, which overall provided nearly 10% less Official Development Assistance (ODA) in 2025 than in 2024, moving even further away from their collective target to provide 0.7% of Gross National Income (GNI) as ODA; expresses profound concern over the reduction in United States development aid and its potential severe consequences for vulnerable populations; in this context, highlights that recent domestic budgetary pressures across the EU have led to combined ODA reductions, underscoring the urgent need for a more sustainable collective funding strategy; stresses that development funding must remain primarily focused on poverty eradication, human development, resilience, human rights, partnerships and addressing the root causes of inequality and fragility;

10.Calls on the Commission for improved monitoring, assessment and reporting, based on evidence, of 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, in order to optimise and broaden the local impact of current EU interventions and partnerships, support the design of future projects with lasting effects in partner countries, enhance transparency in spending and strengthen Parliament's oversight role as part of the budgetary authority;

11.Recalls that continuous and stable EU financial support to developing countries in key areas such as fundamental rights and freedoms, civil society organisations, climate change, economic resilience, sustainable economic growth, private sector development, investment, education and skills, digital transformation, energy security, infrastructure, food security, root causes of migration and humanitarian aid are vital for the EU's ongoing commitments to the Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals and for its role as a credible long-term partner in international partnerships and in the economic and social development of its partners.

12.Emphasises the importance of reinforcing support to promote vocational education and training; calls on the Commission to maintain EU aid for quality education in developing countries, in particular in the Sub-Saharan region, and put learning and skills training at the centre of human development, 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 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.Takes note of the scaling-up of Global Gateway and stresses the importance of mobilising public and private investment in order to strengthen sustainable infrastructure, connectivity, energy security and resilient value chains in partner countries as well as human development;

14.Underlines that EU funding under NDICI-GE for budget support requires credible governance commitments, transparent public financial management and measurable progress towards jointly agreed objectives; recalls that the effectiveness and long-term impact of EU external funding depend on strong national ownership and constructive cooperation with partner countries.