EU proposal to centralize aid faces sharp criticism

According to the paper, the EEAS believes that the current aid structure, with staff spread across 100 EU delegations, is inefficient. Instead, they want to see greater coordination from Brussels and prioritize presence in accession and neighbourhood countries, G20 partners and emerging economies.  

According to document, Politico As noted, the goal of the restructuring is to strengthen the implementation of the EU's Global Gateway strategy, an investment in sustainable infrastructure in partner countries. 

The proposal has not yet been approved by the European Commission and a spokesperson for the Commission stresses that discussions on the EU's future aid structure are still ongoing and are not necessarily reflected in the document. At the same time, the spokesperson confirms the input values ​​in the document:  

– We focus on areas where the EU can achieve greater impact to strengthen our partnerships and contribute to the EU's strategic interests, a representative of INTPA, the EU's aid agency, tells Devex.

EU parliamentarian Isabella Lövin (MP) writes in ETC that aid is most effective when it is done in close contact with the people it affects. She is therefore concerned that centralizing aid coordination could lead to reduced local understanding of the needs of aid recipients. 

– This change risks making aid work less effective and removed from the real needs on the ground, writes Lövin.. 

If the restructuring were to be implemented, it is estimated that Politico that around 800 local employees are at risk of losing their jobs. This in turn could create tensions between the EU and developing countries, according to EU officials in several African countries who spoke to Devex.  

Trade unions representatives Michael Steffens and Helen Conefrey from Union Syndicale Hors Union (USHU), an organization representing staff at EU delegations and the EEAS, in turn warns that the direction of aid signaled in the paper could change the fundamental purpose of development cooperation. 

– There is a risk that EU aid will become an instrument for trade relations and migration management rather than development cooperation, write Steffens and Conefrey in a blog post on the USHU website.

The Commission, for its part, stresses that aid policy must be aligned with the Union's strategic objectives.

“We focus on areas where the EU can achieve greater impact to strengthen our partnerships and contribute to the EU’s strategic interests, whether it concerns the economy, migration, security or broader political priorities,” a representative of INTPA, the EU’s aid agency, told Devex.

The restructuring of the EU's aid policy is expected to be a hot political issue in the coming months. And although the European Commission has not yet made a decision on the form of a restructuring, the leaked document makes it clear that "the status quo is not an option."

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