Letter from CONCORD Europe February 19, 2018
Dear EU heads of state and government,
We are writing to you in advance of your informal meeting on Friday 23 February and the ministerial conference on the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) on Friday 9 March.
We hope that you will find time during your upcoming discussions on the next MFF to reflect on the various commitments on development, humanitarian assistance, peacebuilding, gender equality, rule of law, human rights and democracy, which the EU has made in recent years, including in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the World Humanitarian Summit, the Global Strategy for the EU’s Foreign and Security Policy, and the European Consensus on Development.
We strongly believe that the decisions you make in the coming months about the size and scope of the next MFF will be central to ensuring that the EU is able to translate those laudable ambitions into concrete actions. In this context, we urge you to consider the following recommendations:
1. Include a strong external budget focused on EU values
The EU’s external actions should be based on its values as set out in Article 21 of the Lisbon Treaty. These values have led to a number of international commitments on development, humanitarian assistance, peacebuilding, gender equality, rule of law, human rights and democracy, which the EU cannot fulfil unless it has the financial means to do so. This will require an increase in the amount of funding which the EU allocates to external actions (current Heading 4 plus the European Development Fund (EDF)) and for this funding to remain distinct from that which is allocated in pursuit of other objectives (e.g. under current Heading 3). It should have a clear external focus and should, therefore, not be used to fund activities aimed at securing the EU’s borders. Similarly, it should not be used to support military activities either inside the EU or in partner countries.
2. Maintain separate external financing instruments for humanitarian assistance, human rights and democracy, and peacebuilding
The EU’s humanitarian aid must be delivered in a timely manner, in accordance with the humanitarian principles and based on needs, as enshrined in the Treaty and the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid. Therefore, a separate instrument for humanitarian aid must be maintained. Similarly, the EU should demonstrate its continued commitment to promoting human rights and democracy and to building peace in partner countries by maintaining separate thematic instruments dedicated to these topics. In the current political context, in which civil society organisations (CSOs) and human rights defenders (HRDs) are under threat globally, it is paramount that the EU ensures adequate, independent and impartial funding to individuals and organisations working on human rights, democracy and peacebuilding issues.
3. Increase support for civil society
Civil society actors play a key role in helping the EU to achieve its external action objectives in the areas of development, humanitarian assistance, peacebuilding, gender equality, rule of law, human rights and democracy. It is, therefore, essential that the EU continues to support CSOs to fulfil this important role. All future external financing instruments should be as accessible as possible to a diverse range of CSOs, and this should be reflected in the rules which govern them. In addition to providing financial support to civil society actors, the EU should also try to use its political weight to ensure that they are able to fulfil their various roles unhindered, especially in those countries where civil society activities are curtailed and/or are at risk.
4. Involve CSOs in the MFF process
By involving CSOs working on development, humanitarian assistance, peacebuilding, human rights and democracy in dialogue at the different steps of decision-making processes, the EU can maximise the effectiveness of its external actions. The EU institutions and EU Member States should involve CSOs at the highest level in the ongoing discussions about the next MFF in order to ensure that EU decision-makers hear as diverse a range of views as possible. We wish you fruitful discussions in the coming weeks and we look forward to engaging with you on these and other issues as the negotiations on the next MFF progress.
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