This is a joint letter from a number of European Civil Society Networks to Heads of State and Government ahead of European Council on 12-13 December, asking them to safeguard funding for Heading VI (external action).
The letter urges EU leaders to reconsider the following recommendations on Heading VI:
- Maintain the level of resources for Heading VI at no less than 10% of the overall Multiannual Financial Framework and ensure that the integration of the European Development Fund into the EU budget does not result in a decrease in funding for the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of countries;
- Restate the EU’s long-standing commitment to contribute 0.7% of GNI to official development assistance;
- Update the commitment which was made in the February 2013 European Council regarding the amount of the external action heading to be classified as official development assistance (ODA) so that at least 95% of Heading VI is ODA.
