The Foreign Affairs and Development Committees of the European Parliament adopted their position on the Global Europe instrument, the EU’s funding mechanism for external action in 2028 to 2034, on Monday evening by 63 votes to 27 with five abstentions. MEPs rejected recent Council proposals for significant cuts and endorsed a 25 billion euro increase, in current prices, on the Commission’s original 200 billion euro budget.
Inside that total, MEPs want a dedicated minimum of 25 billion euros for humanitarian aid, dedicated budget lines for a Gaza reconstruction fund and for candidate countries, a target of spending 20 percent of official development assistance on human development, and dedicated shares for Global Gateway investments and for strategic autonomy. The position would assist Ukraine without drawing funds from other priorities, and would assist candidate countries to align with EU values and law with clearer incentives to deliver reforms.
The committees also agreed a suspension mechanism: Global Europe funding could be suspended where democracy, human rights or the rule of law degrade in a partner country, and the Commission could suspend payments over failures to readmit a country’s own nationals. Entities not aligned with Europe’s strategic interests would be excluded. Co-rapporteur Michael Gahler said that following the withdrawal of the United States as a partner, many countries now have heightened expectations of the EU. The committees also endorsed a mandate for negotiations with the Council, by 61 votes to 34 with two abstentions; the position goes to a plenary session scheduled for November 2026, and talks can start once member states adopt their own mandate, including the overall funding levels.