On discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2022, section III - Commission

The Committee on Development's draft opinion asks the Committee on Budgetary Control to include its suggestions in the 2022 Commission discharge resolution. It warns that the NDICI-Global Europe instrument is stretched to its limits amid a record humanitarian funding gap.¶¶ It calls for Global Gateway actions to follow development objectives, more transparency and Parliament involvement, faster progress on NDICI-GE spending targets for human development, gender and climate, and support for local NGOs.¶¶¶ It stresses the role of official development assistance, urges caution on blending and public-private partnerships in education and health, and welcomes the European Court of Auditors' finding on DG ECHO's shared-cost procedure.¶¶

Position. The Committee on Development proposes that the Committee on Budgetary Control include its suggestions in the discharge resolution: concern over the humanitarian funding gap and NDICI-GE limits, conditions on Global Gateway, faster progress on spending targets, support for local NGOs, caution on blending, and welcome for the ECA finding on DG ECHO.¶¶¶

Key points

1. Calls on the Committee on Budgetary Control to incorporate these suggestions into its motion for a resolution on the 2022 Commission discharge.¶
2. Is alarmed at the rising number of crises and the highest-ever humanitarian funding gap, and worried that NDICI-Global Europe is stretched to its limits and insufficient for existing needs.¶
3. Notes 2022 was the first full year of the Global Gateway strategy and says public-private investment actions must be guided by development objectives.¶
4. Calls for more transparency and Parliament's involvement in strategic choices involving Union funds, and insists Global Gateway align with partner countries' needs and the SDGs, not only EU interests.¶
5. Underlines the need to speed up progress on NDICI-GE spending targets for human development, gender and climate, and calls for concrete actions on how the climate target will be met.¶
6. Appreciates local NGOs' and partners' role in service delivery, invites the Commission to facilitate adequate training for them, and is concerned about small local NGOs' continued difficulty accessing Union funding.¶
7. Stresses the important role of official development assistance and calls for a cautious approach to blending and public-private partnerships in fields such as education or health.¶
8. Welcomes the ECA finding that DG ECHO implemented its recommendation and established a procedure ensuring partner organisations base shared-cost allocation on expenditure actually incurred.¶

Who is affected

• The Committee on Budgetary Control, which is asked to incorporate these suggestions into its discharge resolution.¶
• The Commission, which is asked to facilitate training for local NGOs and to act on NDICI-GE spending targets.¶¶
• Local NGOs and partners, whose capacity and access to Union funding are addressed.¶
• Partner countries, whose needs should guide Global Gateway alongside EU interests and the SDGs.¶

Figures and deadlines

• 2022: the financial year covered by the discharge and the first full year of the Global Gateway strategy.¶