The European Commission has issued a warning to African countries that fail to limit their migration outflows, now linking EU economic development aid to tangible results in migration control. According to an internal draft document cited by Politico, the new strategy will be included in the Union’s seven-year budget to be presented next week.
The proposal reflects the Commission’s shift to a stricter line following the rise of the Right in last year’s European elections. The goal is, according to Politico, for the EU’s development policy to align with US and UK practices, where foreign aid is already used as leverage to satisfy domestic political priorities.
Countries that do not substantially contribute to reducing migration flows to Europe risk having European funding restricted
As noted in the document, countries that do not substantially contribute to reducing migration flows to Europe risk seeing European funding restricted. “It will combine all appropriate tools and necessary pressure through a flexible incentive approach, with possible changes in funding allocation related to migration,” it characteristically states. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen appears to be yielding to pressure from the European People’s Party and the majority of countries like Italy and Denmark, which are calling for the controversial 2023 agreement with Tunisia to be extended to other African states. “Greater coherence is required between migration, asylum and external policies, so that the Union’s external aid effectively supports partner countries in managing migration,” the text emphasizes. However, to pass the plan, von der Leyen will need to convince the more skeptical MEPs from the Socialists and Greens, who are essential for approving the new budget in the European Parliament. If approved, it will signal a significant change from the EU’s existing aid model, which is not accompanied by strict conditions.
Commission: Funds for Ukraine’s reconstruction will not absorb resources from other regions
In the new plan, the Commission also proposes consolidating multiple aid programs into a Single Global Europe Fund, which will be divided geographically: Europe, Middle East, North Africa and Gulf, Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Pacific, Americas and Caribbean. Final figures have not yet been announced, but will be communicated internally a few hours before the plan’s presentation. Importantly, funds for Ukraine’s reconstruction will not absorb resources from other regions. A separate fund will be created for the war-torn state for the period 2028-2034, which will cover the country’s rapid recovery, reconstruction and modernization. The Commission President is expected to officially present the new budget draft next Wednesday.
