About: development aid
Some EU delegations remain ‘passive’, development chief admits
The European Commission is looking into a number of European outposts with a central role in programming EU external aid which remain “passive” despite receiving instructions to actively engage with a wide variety of local actors, Commissioner for International Partnerships...
Bill and Melinda Gates to divorce, but charitable foundation to remain intact
Billionaire benefactors Bill and Melinda Gates, co-founders of one of the world’s largest private charitable foundations, filed for divorce on Monday (3 May) after 27 years of marriage but pledged to continue their philanthropic work together.
EU ‘antenna’ outposts to submit proposals for bloc development aid
EU delegations are to submit by the end of February their proposals for spending development aid based on consultations in their respective countries, reflecting the bigger role of the diplomatic outposts in hitting assistance targets. The EU has some 140...
France announces development aid boost
After international stakeholders came together on 9 February to discuss new solidarity-based development models, the French government presented a text on Wednesday (17 February) to increase development aid to 0.55% of the country's wealth by 2022. EURACTIV France reports.
‘Stars are aligned’ for EU-African relations
The EU’s plans to strike a ‘strategic partnership’ with Africa were one the victims of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Portuguese government, which holds the six-month rotating EU presidency, is anxious to conclude the agenda by the summer.
EU criticised over surveillance aid in nations where privacy at risk
European Union aid has been used to pay for surveillance equipment and training in countries with inadequate safeguards against excessive state snooping, rights groups said on Wednesday (11 November), calling for an end to the "unacceptable" practice.
Civil society driving change: Towards a new quality of the Africa-Europe partnership
The African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU) have long announced their intention to establish closer cooperation. But postponing the sixth AU-EU summit, originally planned for October 2020, is yet another example of the half-hearted political relations between our...
Auditors call for overhaul of EU’s Africa spending
The European Court of Auditors, which monitors European Union spending, has called for an overhaul of the bloc’s development spending programmes for African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) to prioritise domestic manufacturing and energy.
Developing countries deserve fair and transparent climate support from the EU
The EU has committed to mobilise climate finance to support developing countries in their efforts to combat climate change. However, new research shows that EU institutions fall short on delivering on their financial commitments, write Mattias Söderberg and Floris Faber.
Foreign aid to be big loser from EU budget under Michel plan
EU external and development spending is in line to be the biggest loser from next week’s crunch EU budget summit in Brussels. The blueprint outlined on Friday (10 July) by European Council President Charles Michel includes a reduction of €4.7 billion for the Neighbourhood Development and International Cooperation Instrument in the EU's next seven-year budget.
Eritrean activists sue EU for funding roads built with ‘forced labour’
Eritrean activists sued the European Union (EU) on Wednesday (13 May) and asked it to halt €80 million in aid to the east African nation, saying the money funded a scheme built on forced labour.
An innovative partnership in the assistance programme for Syrian refugees in Turkey
Alper Küçük and Nils Grede provide insight into the use of the EU’s Facility for Refugees in Turkey, which enables much-needed cash transfers to one and a half million vulnerable refugees living in host communities in Turkey.
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.
European Court of Auditors calls for NGO definition
The EU delegates 1.7% of its budget to NGOs, while no common definition exists in Europe. This is a shortcoming which complicates the monitoring of projects. EURACTIV France reports.
Host migrants or pay, France and Germany propose
European Union governments that refuse to host refugees could instead pay to be excused from the bloc's system of sharing out migrants, France and Germany proposed on Thursday (6 December) as they sought to end a long-running EU feud over migration.
Pakistan charity crackdown spreads uncertainty among aid groups
Foreign aid groups are being forced out of Pakistan, where the need for their services remains immense, in a move analysts say is fuelled by suspicions of foreign spying.
EU development aid fell in 2017, reveals new report
EU aid spending fell for the first time in 5 years in 2017, according to the CONCORD AidWatch Report 2018 published on Wednesday (17 October).
UK to ramp up private sector development role after Brexit, says minister
The UK will keep to its 0.7% aid spending commitment but plans to dramatically scale up its private sector investment in poor countries, its development minister Penny Mordant said on Tuesday (9 October).
EU states rap UN mission in Nigeria for failing to secure aid access
European states warned the United Nations that more than 800,000 people are cut off from aid and may be starving in northeast Nigeria, contradicting government assertions that a crisis has abated and rebuking the world body for failing to secure access.
Merkel begins West African tour in Senegal
German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived in Senegal Wednesday (29 August), at the start of a West African tour, with Berlin hoping that development of the continent will help stem migration and boost the fight against jihadism.
May vows post-Brexit UK will be leading investor in Africa
British Prime Minister Theresa May today (28 August) pledged to prioritise investment in Africa as she started a three-nation visit to the continent to drum up new trade deals ahead of leaving the European Union.
Child malnutrition still prevalent in Chad’s capital
In the capital of Chad, N'Djamena, the Chad-China Friendship Hospital treats cases of acute malnutrition in young children, a countryside phenomena that has taken over the city in the past few years. EURACTIV.fr reports.
EU relies on stability in the Sahel for its own security
“Europe’s security, and that of Spain, depend on security in the Sahel," said the EU Special Representative for the Sahel, Ángel Losada. EURACTIV’s partner Euroefe reports.