Brussels – Today, the European Parliament voted on the mid-term revision of the EU’s long term budget. The ONE Campaign, Global Citizen and Aidsfonds reacted:

“Today’s vote highlights the continued ambition of the Parliament to ensure the EU’s budget is better equipped to face multiple and complex global challenges. The Parliament’s call for additional funding for external action and to respond to emergencies and unforeseen crises is much needed, and we urge Member States to agree to these proposals in upcoming negotiations. 

It is vital that the EU budget can support the delivery of the bloc’s external priorities without forcing short-sighted trade-offs. Funding for Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction is vital, but should not come at the expense of urgent action on climate and development, or other key partnerships such as with Africa. The EU can and must do both, in order to free up resources for urgent global priorities, by ensuring that EUR 1.6 billion currently set aside for Ukraine in the EU’s Global Europe instrument is covered by the new Ukraine Facility from 2024 onwards. We are calling on the Budgets and Foreign Affairs committees to take action on this in the vote on the Ukraine Facility report later this week.”

ENDS

Note to editors:

Looking at external action, on top of what was proposed by the European Commission, the European Parliament is asking for an additional increase in the NDICI – Global Europe Instrument of EUR 1 billion in current prices from 2024. In addition, it is asking for a further increase of EUR 3 billion to the Flexibility Instrument and an increase of EUR 2 billion to the Solidarity and Emergency Aid Reserve.

The Development Committee recommended that the EUR 1.6 billion currently planned in the NDICI – Global Europe Instrument for interest rate subsidy for Macro-Financial Assistance loans and the provisioning of EIB loans to Ukraine, are covered under the future Ukraine Facility from 2024 onwards. The BUDG and AFET committees will vote on this matter on 5 October.