The EU faces a substantial drop in its development resources following Brexit. Still, the amount will depend on how “hard” that exit is, and the UK’s ongoing involvement in voluntary EU-level arrangements. Here we assess the potential size of the Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) funding drop that EU institutions could face. At the UN General Assembly, Theresa May already confirmed that the UK will continue to “honour its commitment” to spend 0.7 percent of national income on development. However, following Brexit, this aid may be spent very differently, particularly the 9.8 percent of UK aid spent via EU institutions in 2014.

MEPs on Wednesday (26 October) approved a €500 million increase to EU spending to cover the costs of the refugee and migration crisis without cutting development aid. Europe’s response to the refugee crisis requires significant funds and the European Parliament has decided to make sure they will be available for 2017. In a resolution adopted on Wednesday (26 October), the European Parliament demanded more funds to assist third countries to mitigate the migration crisis. “The European budget must correspond to [the EU’s] political commitments and strategic objectives,” MEPs insisted.

On 23 and 24 October, Stefano Manservisi, Director General for Development of the European Union led a high level mission to Haiti to see the extent of damage and loss suffered by the population following the passage of Hurricane Matthew; Mission to which participated among others : Jolita Butkeviciene, Director for the Americas and the Caribbean to the Directorate for the development of the EU and Cees Wittebrood, Head of Unit Asia, Latin America, Caribbean and Pacific to the department of humanitarian aid and civil protection of the European Union (ECHO).

The European Union (EU), this week, pledged over €70 million in funding to the Latin American and Caribbean regions to support sustainable development. The EU made the pledge during the its two-day ministerial meeting with the Community of Latin America and Caribbean States (CELAC) held in Santo Domingo from October 25-26. At the meeting the EU said that it would be rolling out sustainable development programs totaling some €74 million. The EU said that its aim is to improve the living conditions of people within the CELAC states by 2030, in accordance with the “Transforming Our World: the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development”, agreed to by the United Nations in 2015.

The Italian government, through the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, is to provide €500,000 for a new project to be implemented by Children's Rights & Emergency Relief Organization Unicef-implemented in Sudan's Red Sea state. A joint press statement by Unicef and the Italian government says that the 12-month project is to be implemented in five localities in the Eastern State with an aim to prevent and control malnutrition in the region, specifically targeting children under 5, pregnant and lactating women. "While funded by Italy, Unicef is to provide technical guidance and support to the Ministry of Health in the State of Red Sea, its main implementing partner in the region.

In response to the devastating earthquake that hit Kagera Region in North West Tanzania on 10 September 2016, the European Union is providing €100 000 in humanitarian funds to assist the most affected families. According to a statement issued by the EU in Tanzania, the funds will support the Tanzanian Red Cross in delivering much needed relief assistance, including tarpaulins for shelter, mosquito nets to reduce the risks of mosquito bites to the affected population, first aid kits as well as psychosocial assistance. The aid will also directly benefit about 5,000 people who had their homes destroyed by the earthquake.

With the U.K.'s membership of the single market looking increasingly precarious, the country's trade relationships outside of the European Union are shifting into focus. For Priti Patel, the U.K.'s international development secretary, the country's aid budget is one area which could enhance international trading ties. Speaking to the BBC in Kenya earlier this week, Patel said that: "British soft power is exactly where DfID (the Department for International Development) … our aid and other relationships around the world come together to deliver in our national interest … when it comes to free trade agreements (and) life post-Brexit."

European NGOs have rounded on EU governments over the growing use of foreign aid budgets to meet refugee costs at home, claiming that the strategy artificially inflates official figures for development assistance despite money never reaching the poor countries for which it was intended. Germany was among the states criticised by Concord, a confederation of European NGOs, for including refugee costs as part of official development assistance (ODA), a “trick” that the organisation’s Aidwatch report said increased the country’s aid spending to 0.56% of gross national income.

The EU has provided 13 millions euros for the upgrade of cane accss roads around the country. This was confirmed by the Permanent Secretary for Sugar, Yogesh Karan, following his meeting with EU officials, the Ministry of Sugar and the Pacific Community in Lautoka on Friday. Mr. Karan chaired the meeting which included talks on road and water projects for the cane farming areas. Mr. Karan said all cane access roads could not be completed this year under the EU aid but this should be done by next year. He said the roads being done would be done properly with professional companies being recruited to carry out this work. "We don't want to have roads that have to be repaired after every heavy rainfall".

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday (10 October) announced a €27 million aid package for Niger, her second stop in a three-nation Africa tour aimed at fighting terrorism and stemming the migrant influx to Europe. The German leader said the army of the arid west African country, one of the world’s poorest, would receive €10 million worth of equipment next year. Germany will also build a military base to back up the UN mission in neighbouring Mali, the first country she had visited on the whirlwind African tour. Merkel also promised €17 million as development aid for Niger’s arid and desperately impoverished Agadez region in the north in a bid to fight migration to Europe.