opinion parliamentary committee draft, 24 November 2023
On discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2022, section III - Commission
Document DEVE-PA-756272 · (2023/2129(DEC))
Committee on Development · Rapporteur: Antoni Comín i Oliveres
AI:In short
The Committee on Development's draft opinion asks the Committee on Budgetary Control to include its suggestions in the 2022 Commission discharge resolution. It warns that the NDICI-Global Europe instrument is stretched to its limits amid a record humanitarian funding gap. It calls for Global Gateway actions to follow development objectives, more transparency and Parliament involvement, faster progress on NDICI-GE spending targets for human development, gender and climate, and support for local NGOs. It stresses the role of official development assistance, urges caution on blending and public-private partnerships in education and health, and welcomes the European Court of Auditors' finding on DG ECHO's shared-cost procedure.
Position. The Committee on Development proposes that the Committee on Budgetary Control include its suggestions in the discharge resolution: concern over the humanitarian funding gap and NDICI-GE limits, conditions on Global Gateway, faster progress on spending targets, support for local NGOs, caution on blending, and welcome for the ECA finding on DG ECHO.
Key points
- Calls on the Committee on Budgetary Control to incorporate these suggestions into its motion for a resolution on the 2022 Commission discharge.
- Is alarmed at the rising number of crises and the highest-ever humanitarian funding gap, and worried that NDICI-Global Europe is stretched to its limits and insufficient for existing needs.
- Notes 2022 was the first full year of the Global Gateway strategy and says public-private investment actions must be guided by development objectives.
- Calls for more transparency and Parliament's involvement in strategic choices involving Union funds, and insists Global Gateway align with partner countries' needs and the SDGs, not only EU interests.
- Underlines the need to speed up progress on NDICI-GE spending targets for human development, gender and climate, and calls for concrete actions on how the climate target will be met.
- Appreciates local NGOs' and partners' role in service delivery, invites the Commission to facilitate adequate training for them, and is concerned about small local NGOs' continued difficulty accessing Union funding.
- Stresses the important role of official development assistance and calls for a cautious approach to blending and public-private partnerships in fields such as education or health.
- Welcomes the ECA finding that DG ECHO implemented its recommendation and established a procedure ensuring partner organisations base shared-cost allocation on expenditure actually incurred.
Who is affected
- The Committee on Budgetary Control, which is asked to incorporate these suggestions into its discharge resolution.
- The Commission, which is asked to facilitate training for local NGOs and to act on NDICI-GE spending targets.
- Local NGOs and partners, whose capacity and access to Union funding are addressed.
- Partner countries, whose needs should guide Global Gateway alongside EU interests and the SDGs.
Figures and deadlines
Written by AI from the full text · every figure comes from the text · ¶ opens the paragraph · 25 Sept 2026 · Report a problem
Full text
Suggestions 7 paragraphs
The Committee on Development calls on the Committee on Budgetary Control, as the committee responsible, to incorporate the following suggestions into its motion for a resolution:
1. Is alarmed about the rising number of crises worldwide and the highest-ever humanitarian funding gap; is worried that Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) - Global Europe (GE) is stretched to its limits and is not sufficient to address existing needs;
2. Notes that 2022 was the first full year of the implementation of the Global Gateway strategy; underlines that actions bringing together public and private investment must always be guided by development objectives; calls for more transparency and Parliament’s involvement in strategic choices involving Union funds; insists that Global Gateway should not only align with the EU interests but also with the needs of partner countries and contribute to the achievement of the SDGs;
3. Underlines the need to speed up progress on achieving the NDICI-GE spending targets for human development, gender and climate objectives; is worried, in particular, about the Commission’ capacity to ensure reaching the Instrument’s climate target and calls for concrete actions outlining how the climate target is going to be met;
4. Appreciates the role of local NGOs and partners in service delivery; underlines the importance of enhancing their capacity to manage and implement actions financed by the EU and invites the Commission to facilitate adequate training towards this aim; is concerned about the continued difficulties faced by small local NGOs to access Union funding;
5. Stresses the important role of the official development assistance (ODA); calls for a cautious approach to blending and public-private partnerships in fields, such as education or health;
6. Welcomes the finding of the ECA report on the EU budget for 2022 that DG ECHO implemented ECA recommendation and established a procedure ensuring that partner organisations base their allocation of shared costs on expenditure actually incurred.