EU

Today, EU member states have proposed a spending increase of 10 percent in 2019 for the EU’s external policies compared to this year’s budget. However, governments are focusing on the wrong issues, Oxfam, Save the Children, DSW and IPPF EN say. The organizations argue a strong focus on human development is needed to counter increasing inequalities and make sure no one is left behind.

European leaders at the EU summit in Brussels have failed to agree on reforms to the common European asylum system. Instead, they try to respond to internal rows by reducing the space for asylum seekers even further, and want to offload their responsibilities to countries outside the EU. Oxfam argues that European agreements on migration are welcome, but they should not have a negative impact on the lives of refugees and migrants.

It’s good to see the Commission continue their crackdown on tax avoidance by Europe’s largest companies, but actual reforms towards more tax transparency are needed, Oxfam said in reaction to a decision by the European Commission that declared illegal a tax deal of Luxembourg with the French company Engie.

Children as young as 12 are being abused, detained and illegally returned to Italy by French border guards, according to a new report by Oxfam.

The European Commission has published details of its planned foreign affairs spending for 2021-2027. While there are some positive points which we welcome, there is a risk that aid money can now be used for inward-looking policies on migration and security, rather than long-term sustainable development.

Europeans may still be forced to buy biofuels made from food crops until 2030, as a result of the deal struck by EU member states and the European Parliament this morning on the Renewable Energy Directive (RED II), Oxfam said.

EU Finance Ministers must ensure countries removed from the tax haven blacklist deliver significant reforms, said Oxfam today, following an announcement that the Caribbean Islands of the Bahamas, and Saint Kitts and Nevis have been taken off the list.

The European Commission has published a proposal on unfair trading practices in the EU food supply chain. Right now, supermarkets’ poor practices lead to insecurity among their suppliers, which directly impacts the most vulnerable people in the value chain. Oxfam and NGOs welcome this move, and call on the European Parliament and the Council to strengthen the Commission’s proposal.