Brussels – The European Parliament voted in favour yesterday of a report on “Improving development effectiveness and efficiency of aid” which makes development aid conditional to migration control.

In reaction to this, Brandon Locke, Policy & Advocacy Manager at the anti-poverty group, ONE, said: 

“Development aid should not come with conditions linked to political objectives to restrict migration flows. It is very disappointing to see Members of the European Parliament turning their back to the most fragile populations who will suffer as a direct result of this decision.

The European Parliament decided to suddenly shift their approach to development funds during one of the worst crises of our lifetimes. With up to 100 million people forecasted to be pushed into extreme poverty as a consequence of the pandemic, development aid needs to be focused on solutions to fight extreme poverty, strengthen health systems, and create decent jobs. 

In Africa, development depends on improving intra-regional trade and value chains, which requires more migration and mobility within the continent, not less. The EU should learn from its past mistakes, and align its migration policies with what countries need and not base them on short-term political priorities”.