By Jurie Hendrik Human
With the UK leaving the European Union, there have been a number of logistical discussions, but one area that has not made the mainstream media is how this will impact EU foreign aid. The EU is the largest aid donor across the world. However, as part of the withdrawal agreement, the UK will continue to contribute to the EU for the next 10 years with gradually decreasing amounts of funds. So, here we explore the current EU foreign aid policy and which countries receive the greatest amount of aid.
The contributors to EU foreign aid by country
The EU foreign aid budget is part of the overall EU budget. In 2019, the largest contributors to the EU budget were Germany at €25.82 billion followed by France at €21 billion, Italy with €14.96 billion, and the UK with €14.05 billion. These four member states accounted for approximately 60% of the overall budget.
According to the European Commission, the current collective EU foreign aid commitment, which comprises the EU institutions and the EU member states, is €50 billion. Now, we’ll look at EU foreign aid by country to see which recipients receive the greatest aid.
EU foreign aid by country
The EU renewed its development policy in 2017, maintaining a focus on development, peace, and humanitarian assistance. Due to the delay in collating figures, we can only look at the 2019 EU Foreign Aid allocations.
Other countries that benefitted from EU foreign aid include:
However, it is important to note that the largest amount of funds takes the form of EU aid to Africa. In 2019, the continent received €22.28 billion to provide basic shelter, nutrition, healthcare, and access to clean water. EU funding also provides education and protection for the vulnerable.
Over the next 10 years, the UK contributions to the EU will gradually decrease which is likely to have an impact on EU foreign aid. This could make it difficult for the EU to maintain its role as the global leading foreign aid donor. It is estimated that the EU may lose 10% of its world aid share, decreasing global aid by up to 3%.
