About: aid budget

Only inequality-busting aid will help end poverty

The amount of aid matters, but so does how and where it is spent. Development aid must  be focused on reducing the inequality that drives poverty, writes Julie Seghers.

Europe needs a partnership policy with the South and the East

A window of opportunity has opened for European policy since growth rates rebounded. But whether growth will continue for a time long enough for reducing the fiscal burden, unemployment and inequality depends on strategy changes, write Karl Aiginger and Heinz Handler.

Wishful thinking underpins the EU’s new Africa plan

There has been a significant mood change among European policymakers. Far from seeing Africa as a charity case, they have come to recognise it as a security threat: doing more to develop Africa's ailing economies is rising fast up the EU agenda, writes Giles Merritt.

EU: Supporting the Ethiopian people now, and over the long term

Ethiopia is being hit hard by one the most severe El Niño phenomenon on record. Numbers speak for themselves – in the past year, the number of food insecure people has increased from 2.9 million to over 10 million at present, write Neven Mimica and Christos Stylianides.

EU needs ‘radical rethink’ of foreign aid in 2016

These are challenging times for policy makers, as global security risks become ever more complex. The tragic events of 2015 show how the challenges of poverty and development need to be tackled together, write James Mackie and Rhys Williams.

Spain can be a trailblazer in this new age of aid austerity

Spain's aid budget may be contracting sharply, but with greater craft and focus it can demonstrate that money isn't everything, writes Jonathan Glennie.