Brussels – The European Parliament will vote on the Interim Report on the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) on Wednesday 14 November. Ahead of the Parliament’s Plenary session, ONE is calling the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to reaffirm the EU’s commitment to allocate 0.7% of GNI to development aid (ODA) and put the EU on track to end extreme poverty by the end of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Friederike Röder, EU and France Director for The ONE Campaign, said:

“The European Parliament has a chance of a lifetime to set the future of Europe by reaffirming the EU’s commitment to end extreme poverty. So far, the 0.7% GNI/ODA target is not even mentioned in the Parliament’s MFF Interim report. But MEPs still have the chance to adopt two amendments to incorporate this important target.  

When many European leaders are focusing on short-term solutions guided by national interests, Members of the European Parliament need to set the path and remind leaders to stick to long-term commitments to ensure the EU’s leadership role. Especially as the EU and its member states remain the biggest donor of  development aid.

Africa’s young population will be 12 times larger than the number of young people in the entire EU, in the next 50 years. To ensure the EU achieves the 0.7% GNI/ODA is the first step to build a better future for this young generation”.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

On the EU’s 0.7% GNI to development aid commitment:

The EU committed to allocate 0.7% of GNI to development aid on the 2015 Addis Ababa Action Agenda of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development (Full text available online at: http://www.un.org/esa/ffd/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/AAAA_Outcome.pdf) and more recently on the 2017 European Consensus on Development, with a Joint Statement by the Council and the representatives of the member states meeting within the Council, the European Parliament and the European Commission.

Link of the European Parliament’s Multiannual financial framework 2021-2027: Interim report on the Commission proposals  http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ATAG/2018/630262/EPRS_ATA(2018)630262_EN.pdf

On the European Parliament’s Interim report on the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027

The amendments including the 0.7% GNI target are:

Amendment 23

Citation 9 a
Having regard to the EU’s collective commitment to achieve the 0.7% ODA/GNI target within the time frame of the post-2015 agenda

Amendment 28

Paragraph 5b
Draws attention to the EU’s unfulfilled international commitments to increase its ODA to 0.7 % of gross national income (GNI), with 20 % of this for human development and social inclusion, and 0.2 % of GNI for least developed countries by 2030, as well as to provide new and additional funding for climate action in developing countries; asserts that these commitments must be properly reflected in the 2021-2027 MFF;

Link to the European Parliament’s Interim report on the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+REPORT+A8-2018-0358+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN&language=EN