Umoja wa Ulaya (EU) unatarajia kufanya mapitio ya mpango wake wa misaada ya kigeni ili kuendana na maslahi yake ya kisiasa huku ikikabiliwa na changamoto za bajeti, ongezeko la gharama za ulinzi, na tishio la ushuru kutoka Marekani, kulingana na ripoti ya Bloomberg.
Hatua hii inafuatia uamuzi wa Rais wa Marekani, Donald Trump, kusitisha sehemu kubwa ya msaada wa kigeni wa Marekani akidai kuwepo kwa ufisadi na matumizi mabaya ya fedha ndani ya USAID. Sasa msaada huo unakaguliwa kwa miezi mitatu ili kuhakikisha unaendana na maslahi ya Marekani.
Kwa upande wa EU, Tume ya Ulaya (EC) inatafakari kubadilisha mkakati wa misaada yake ya nje, ikilenga kutumia misaada hiyo kuimarisha maslahi yake ya kimkakati, kujenga ushirikiano thabiti, na kuhakikisha upatikanaji wa malighafi muhimu, Bloomberg iliripoti.
EU ni mtoa msaada mkubwa zaidi duniani, ikiwa ilitumia karibu euro bilioni 96 mwaka 2023. Sehemu kubwa ya misaada hiyo imeelekezwa Kiev tangu mzozo wa Ukraine ulipoanza mwaka 2022, ambapo jumla ya msaada wa EU kwa Ukraine sasa unakaribia dola bilioni 145.
Hata hivyo, baadhi ya nchi wanachama kama Slovakia na Hungary zimeacha kutoa msaada wa kijeshi kwa Ukraine na zinataka misaada zaidi kuelekezwa kwenye masuala ya ndani.
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The decision follows US President Donald Trump's move to freeze most American foreign aid, citing corruption and uncontrolled spending within USAID - Washington's primary tool for funneling political funding abroad. The bulk of US assistance is currently under a three-month
review to ensure it
"aligns with American interests."
Amid concerns over its increasingly stretched budget and competing priorities such as the Ukraine conflict, the European Commission (EC) is also looking to restructure its external aid program, Bloomberg
reported on Monday, citing an internal draft document.
The bloc aims to take a more transactional approach to aid, using it to
"secure strategic interests," strengthen alliances, and ensure access to critical raw materials while maintaining its reputation as a
"reliable partner," the newspaper wrote.
The EU is collectively the world's largest provider of foreign aid, spending nearly 96 billion ($99 billion) in 2023, according to an EC report from last year. A significant portion of this aid has been directed to Kiev since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, with total EU contributions now nearing $145 billion, according to the EC.
Several EU member states, including Slovakia and Hungary, have halted military aid to Kiev and called for redirecting further Ukraine-related assistance toward domestic concerns.
Source: Big News Network