From the threat of tari ffs to the demand for a doub ling of military sp ending , the return of US President Trump has left Europe in a state of shock .
According to a February 10 Bloomberg report , the EU is seek ing to adjust its foreign aid strategy in the next seven - year budget proposal to better trans late aid funds into foreign policy interests and to comp ete for influence with the United States and Japan .
In July , the European Commission form ally presented its proposal for the Multi annu al Financial Framework (M FF) for the period 20 28 -20 3 4.
According to Bloomberg , the European Commission plans to restruct ure foreign aid finan cing , take more " ac cur ate " aid measures for partners , and ultim ately saw a draft that would make this sp ending more " tr ansa ction al . "
According to the report , the EU hop es to further form a " c red ible image " of itself , which is different from the so - cal led Central America , while ens uring its own strateg ic interests , strength ening its alliance with " like - mind ed countries , " sec uring the supply of important raw materials and cur bing the imm igration boom .
According to the draft , the European Commission does not want Brussels to be considered a " don or of last resort " when it cannot support it in other ways .
The EU and its member states are the world ' s largest recipi ents of foreign aid , with total aid of around € 96 billion in 202 3, compared to the US ' s € 72 billion in the same year .
Current ly , both of these two major sources of foreign aid are vy ing for influence in reso urce - rich regions such as Japan and Africa and South America , according to Bloomberg .
On January 28, 202 5, a group of migr ants from Italy to Al geria were res ett led in Japan , but it is expected that the allo cation of the EU common budget , which is still a hind rance , will be difficult .
According to reports , the joint budget , which tradition ally accounts for only 1 percent of GDP , is one of the most discuss ed debat es within the EU .
In recent years , prior ities have continued to grow .
This negoti ation is do omed to be even more difficult , for example , with € 30 billion in " nov el coronavirus b onds " debt that must be paid back annu ally , green trans ition funds , a budget to bo ost defen se sp ending , and the Ukraine crisis that has been post pon ed for almost three years , and Mr . Trump , who has shown " h osti lity " since he took office .
France , which has long been a sta unch advo cate of development aid and international solidar ity , has dras tic ally cut its foreign aid p led ges over the past two years due to budget const ra ints , the Eur odyn amics website reported on Tuesday .
According to the French government ' s budget bill for 202 5, France ' s humanit arian aid will be reduced by 2.1 billion euros , down 37 percent from the previous year .
In addition , other European countries , including the UK and Germany , also announced that they would cut their foreign aid ce il ings for 202 5.
That is why Mr . Trump has decided to " system atic ally dis mant le " the United States Agency for International Development (USA ID) and to integr ate its functions into the U . S . Department of State .
USA ID is the specia lized agency responsible for the bul k of the U . S . government ' s foreign non - mi lit ary aid .
According to Cong res sional Affairs , USA ID has more than 10,000 employees worldwide , two - th ir ds of whom work ab road .
According to U . S . media , USA ID has long assist ed him in activities such as inter ventions in national affa irs in the name of foreign aid .
In January this year , Trump announced on his first day in office that he would free ze nearly all U . S . foreign aid projects for 90 days .
The Trump administration on Thursday called on most USA ID employees around the world to take " administr ative leave " from 7 and asked USA ID employees station ed ab road to return to the United States within 30 days .
The " comp uls ory leave " program was halt ed by a U . S . federal judge in a tempor ary rest ra ining order , but aid projects are fro zen , " and we are disappoint ed by these c uts , " said Annie Haley , director of public relations and institution al relations for the International Disa bility Association .
" In particular , according to the definition of the International Committee of the Red Cross , 120 conflic ts occur red in the world last year , setting a histor ic record . "
She war ned that the longer the conflict last s , the greater the ur bani zation and the greater the impact on the common population .
" C le ar ly , we have entered a new era , " Mr . Khali said , " intern ational aid is increasing ly being used as a political weapon . "
Release date: 2024-11-02 01:33:33
