Fianna Fáil MEP Barry Andrews has warned right-wing governments not to cut the EU’s foreign aid budget.
The Dublin MEP was speaking before attending the EU Development Ministers meeting in Dublin on Friday and before the Irish Presidency presents an updated draft EU budget on Saturday.
Various right-wing European governments have threatened to cut the EU’s foreign aid budget, following in the footsteps of a similar measure in the United States (which has been directly linked to a deadly ongoing Ebola outbreak in DR Congo).
“In an increasingly insecure world, the EU development cooperation budget is crucial to our long-term security,” Andrews said.
“MEPs will not agree to follow the ideology behind the USAID cuts. Any such drastic cuts would be a betrayal of everything the EU stands for in the world,” he warned.
Andrews stated, “we need to invest in the partnerships, development programmes, and strong diplomatic ties needed across Eastern Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.”
“Such cuts, as demanded by some short-sighted governments, would leave Europe wide open to risks from fragile regions. While the headlines are dominated by conflict, we must not neglect conflict prevention,” he said.
“The Parliament vetoed the budget agreement of national governments during the last Irish Presidency of the Council in 2013, and we must be prepared to do the same again.”