Final green light for the new financial instrument to support the EU's external action

The European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, represented by the Portuguese Presidency, signed the regulation establishing the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument - Global Europe (NDICI-Global Europe).

NDICI-Global Europe is the main financial instrument for the EU's external action, and is of ever greater importance in the light of the heavy economic and social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide.

With an overall allocation of €79.5 billion at current prices, for 2021-2027, representing an increase of over 10% compared to the previous budgetary cycle, the new instrument will cover cooperation with all third countries.

NDICI-Global Europe will be organised around three key pillars:

- Geographical

The geographical component will promote partnerships through cooperation with partner countries in the following regions: the European Neighbourhood, sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and the Americas and the Caribbean.

It will focus on good governance, inclusive growth, climate and environment objectives, poverty eradication, the fight against inequalities, resilience, conflict prevention and human development, among other cross-cutting issues. In addition, European Neighbourhood countries will benefit from enhanced political cooperation and support for the purposes of improving regional cooperation and promoting integration into the EU's internal market.

The financial envelope of the geographic cooperation will amount to €60 388 million, with sub-Saharan Africa at the top of the priorities with close to €30 000 million earmarked, an increase of around 12% compared to the previous financial framework. For the European Neighbourhood, at least €19 323 million will be earmarked.

- Thematic

The thematic programmes – for which €6 358 million is allocated – will fund actions linked to the Sustainable Development Goals at global level, including support for civil society organisations. Thematic programmes will therefore focus on human rights and democracy, civil society, stability and peace, as well as on global challenges such as health, education and training, women and children, work, social protection, culture, migration and climate change.

- Rapid response

The rapid response component, amounting to €3 182 million, will be dedicated to financing the quick response capacity for crisis management, conflict prevention and peace building. Actions financed within this component aim to strengthen the resilience of crisis-affected countries, link humanitarian and development actions and address foreign policy needs and priorities.

At the same time, as NDICI-Global Europe was designed to be a more flexible instrument, able to address new emerging priorities and challenges in a fast-changing world, €9 534 million will be earmarked for unexpected events, such as crisis and post-crisis situations or migratory pressure.