On 16 July 2025 President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen presents the European Union’s next seven-year draft budget for 2028-2034. Under this proposal, the Commission would attach conditions to the allocation of EU development funds. Only those countries in Africa and the Global South that show tangible results in reducing irregular migration would be eligible for substantial EU support. For countries that do not cooperate sufficiently, aid would be reduced. The 2024 European Parliament elections brought a major political shift with the rise of right-wing parties leading to a more dominant anti-migration stance in the Brussels institutions. The Commission’s draft budget reform is a clear political response to this shift, the consequences of which will be felt not only within the EU but also in many partner countries.
The full text of the analysis is available in Hungarian here
