European Union’s external relations funding

EU funds ensure access to clean drinking water in, for instance, Papua New Guinea. Photo: EU

The European Union’s external relations funding consists of many financing instruments, which can be divided into two categories depending on their nature: geographic and thematic.

The European Union’s external relations funding also includes the extrabudgetary European Development Fund, the budget for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, and the Instrument for Humanitarian Aid.

The European Union’s current financial framework is defined for the period 2006–2013. In December 2011, the European Commission publicised its proposal concerning external relations funding in the coming financial framework. Negotiations are currently being conducted on the next multi-annual financial framework for the period 2014–2020.