Africa and Europe are bound by geography and a common destiny. The EU-Africa partnership is of utmost importance to shape our future.
President Ursula von der Leyen (28 November 2022)
EU aid focuses on the countries which need it most.
EU development aid goes to around 150 countries in the world, ranging from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. However, in recent years, several developing countries have experienced strong economic growth and have managed to reduce poverty.
Starting in 2014, the EU is therefore phasing out direct aid to large countries such as India and other countries like Malaysia or many Latin American countries. This process is called 'graduation'. Instead, we are increasingly focusing on the poorest places in the world. In the period 2014-2020, about 75% of EU support will go to these countries which, in addition, often are hard hit by natural disasters or conflict, something that makes their citizens particularly vulnerable. Moreover, the EU is the only donor worldwide which gives support in all countries that are fragile or suffer from conflict.
The EU is helping to improve the lives of millions.
In 2000, countries from all over the world agreed on the Millennium Development Goals, to be achieved by 2015. They range from halving extreme poverty to stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS and giving primary education to all children. The EU played a leading role in negotiating this vision. Over the last decade, thanks to EU funding, almost 14 million pupils could go to primary school, more than 70 million people were linked to improved drinking water, and over 7.5 million births were attended by skilled health workers, saving the lives of mothers and babies. These are just some of the ways the EU is helping to reach the goals, but more needs to be done to make poverty history
EU humanitarian aid and development cooperation are different but work hand in hand.
Developing countries have a strong say in how EU aid is spent, what will be done and where.
Humanitarian aid helps to save people’s lives rapidly in crisis situations, and address their basic needs, for example by providing food, shelter or medical care in conflicts or after natural disasters. Development cooperation supports countries over the medium and long term so they can overcome poverty and have sustainable economic growth that benefits all parts of society. The EU works hard to ensure that the change from emergency to development assistance runs smoothly, by linking them with each other.
But we also go further: Many places of the world suffer recurring crises, for example, because of climate change. Humanitarian aid and development experts need to work together to help societies in these countries become more resilient. This can mean strengthening a state’s emergency preparedness or its health and education systems. But it can also involve bolstering foodstuff markets, local communities and people in their individual lives so they can prevent and manage risks and quickly recover from shocks caused by drought, violence, conflict or natural disaster.
The EU makes sure that its development programmes follow the priorities which governments have for their countries’ own development. The decision of whether to invest funding in, for example, health, schools, or roads is taken in close partnership between the EU and each government - which often then also takes responsibility for managing the programmes and projects.
More information about this principle which is called “Country Ownership”, can be found in the EU’s “Agenda for Change”. This text also outlines how EU aid in the future will focus more on certain sectors such as good governance, human rights, democracy, health, education, but also agriculture and energy.
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