Devex: Foreign aid neglected in historic E.U. budget deal
“It was one giant leap for the European Union but only a small step for its spending abroad Tuesday, as national leaders reached a long-awaited deal to combine the bloc’s coronavirus response with its next seven-year budget. … Aid advocates were left disappointed, however, after €10.5 billion for development funding and €5 billion for humanitarian aid that were proposed by the commission as part of the pandemic recovery package in May disappeared amid a larger battle with frugal states. In the end, €70.8 billion was allocated to the budget’s main development tool, a reduction of 10.4% compared with the first proposal from the commission in May 2018…” (Chadwick, 7/22).

Additional coverage of the E.U. budget deal is available from Wall Street Journal and Washington Post.