Five Commissioners, including EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, warn that Ireland’s proposed 17% cut to Global Europe would erode the EU’s influence and security, as Council President Costa readies a new compromise for a 26 November summit.
The European Commissioners in charge of the EU’s external action have pushed back against proposed cuts to the budget’s Global Europe instrument, warning that funding must match the bloc’s global ambitions.
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“Without adequate resources, the EU risks losing influence on the global stage and being more vulnerable to external factors,” reads their letter, seen by Euronews, noting that the global landscape has shifted dramatically in recent years.
The letter replies to Parliament’s lead lawmakers on the instrument, Michael Gahler (Germany/EPP) and Robert Biedroń (Poland/S&D), after the Irish presidency of the EU Council proposed a 17.4% cut to the programme.
It is co-signed by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Commissioners Marta Kos (Enlargement), Dubravka Šuica (Mediterranean), Jozef Síkela (International Partnerships) and Hadja Lahbib (Preparedness and Crisis Management).
“The Commission has proposed an ambitious budget for Global Europe, which is crucial to ensure pre-accession support, promote EU and partner countries’ interests, strengthen partnerships, uphold EU values and respond effectively to crises,” the letter reads.
EU leaders largely rejected the Irish proposal at last Thursday’s summit. European Council President António Costa is expected to present a new compromise before a special summit on 26 November, and the letter appears aimed at shaping it.
The Commissioners warn that reducing the programme’s funding could have major consequences for the EU and its partners on security, stability, prosperity and migration, and weaken the bloc’s ability to forge mutually beneficial partnerships.
The letter also points to a steady decline in development aid from EU countries and other major donors such as the US. This, it says, risks leaving large gaps in partner countries, with potentially severe consequences.
Enlargement is another area where the instrument needs adequate resources, notably for pre-accession support, which “needs enough funding to make difficult reforms worth the political cost for governments.”
The region stretching from North Africa to the Middle East and the Gulf is also presented as pivotal to the bloc’s security and prosperity, particularly on energy and migration. Strong resources are deemed essential to meet the scale of the challenges there credibly.
The EU must also keep a leading role in sub-Saharan Africa, the Asia-Pacific and Latin America, the letter says, where its presence strengthens stability, supply chain diversification and economic security.
“On a global scale, adequate resources will be needed to confirm the Union’s global leadership in key policy areas. Otherwise, the EU’s role as a champion of multilateralism, notably on climate action, will be weakened, eroding also its credibility,” the letter continues.
For the five Commissioners, an ambitious Global Europe budget is also key to tackling emerging threats such as information manipulation, hybrid attacks and maritime insecurity, while keeping the flexibility to respond swiftly to crises and shifting priorities.