EPLO, together with CONCORD and VOICE, has published a joint call urging the EU to ensure that the future Global Europe Regulation strengthens its ability to address fragility. The call, signed by the Executive Directors of the three networks, comes at a critical moment: the Global Europe Regulation is currently under discussion in the Council and the European Parliament, and the decisions taken now will shape EU external action for 2028–2034.
Fragility is affecting an increasing share of the world’s population, yet funding for the most vulnerable contexts risks being diluted by geopolitical pressures and a growing emphasis on competitiveness. The three networks warn that this would undermine the EU’s legal commitments and core values to promote peace, reduce poverty, and alleviate human suffering.
The joint call puts forward three concrete demands for EU co-legislators:
- Make fragility a cross-cutting priority of Global Europe, embedded across all pillars and regions, with mandatory conflict sensitivity, a people-centred approach, and a 0.20% GNI spending target for Least Developed Countries;
- Ensure flexibility is meaningfully used to support needs-based and predictable engagement, with clear criteria, strengthened parliamentary oversight, and structured dialogue with civil society; and
- Guarantee that both programmable and non-programmable actions integrate fragility, protecting at least EUR 25 billion for humanitarian aid and maintaining grants as the primary modality in the most fragile contexts.
Embedding fragility across the Global Europe architecture, safeguarding humanitarian action, and investing in peace are political choices. At a time of deepening crises worldwide, the EU must reaffirm its commitment to those most in need.
