Global Europe — the EU Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument

KEY POINTS

Single instrument

The regulation creates a single instrument, bringing together 10 separate instruments from the 2014-2020 multiannual financial framework (MFF) and the European Development Fund, which was previously outside the EU budget.

Objectives

The regulation has a number of specific objectives:

• to support and foster dialogue and cooperation with non-EU countries and regions in the European neighbourhood, in sub-Saharan Africa, in Asia and the Pacific, and in the Americas and the Caribbean;
• to develop special strengthened partnerships and enhanced political cooperation with the European neighbourhood;
• at global level:
  • to protect, promote and advance human rights, including gender equality and the protection of human rights defenders,
  • to support civil-society organisations,
  • to further stability and peace and prevent conflict, thereby contributing to the protection of civilians,
  • to address other global challenges such as climate change, the protection of biodiversity and the environment, and migration and mobility;
• to respond rapidly to:
  • situations of crisis, instability and conflict — including those which may result from migratory flows and forced displacement — and hybrid threats,
  • challenges to resilience, including natural and man-made disasters, and the linking of humanitarian aid and development action and the needs and priorities of the EU common foreign and security policy.

Structure

The instrument is organised around 3 pillars.

• Geographical — promoting partnerships through cooperation with partner countries and focusing on issues such as:
  • good governance;
  • inclusive growth;
  • climate and environment objectives;
  • poverty eradication; and
  • conflict prevention.
• Thematic — funding actions linked to the sustainable development goals at the global level and focusing on issues such as human rights and democracy, civil society, stability and peace, along with global challenges such as:
  • health;
  • education and training;
  • women and children;
  • culture;
  • migration; and
  • climate change.
• Rapid response.

Priorities

The instrument has a number of targets, including:

• having at least 93% of the expenditure under the Instrument fulfil the criteria for official development assistance, established by the Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD);
• focusing at least 20% of official development assistance expenditure on human development;
• dedicating 30% to fighting climate change;
• indicatively dedicating 10% to migration-related activities,
• ensuring that at least 85% of actions have gender equality as a principal or significant objective, of which at least 5% should have gender equality as a principal objective.

Investment framework

The instrument contains an investment framework, a basis for financing external action from the geographical pillar to raise additional funds for sustainable development from the public and private sector. It consists of:

• the European Fund for Sustainable Development Plus (EFSD+); and
• the external action guarantee.

Budget

The financing of the instrument covers 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2027, the duration of the MFF. It has a budget of €79.462 billion, which is broken down as follows:

• geographical programmes: €60.388 billion
• thematic programmes: €6.358 billion
• rapid reaction operations: €3.182 billion

with an additional €9.534 cushion for emerging challenges and priorities.

Supplementing act

Regulation (EU) 2021/947 was supplemented by Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/1530 of 12 July 2021.