The Draft of the EU Budget 2019 foresees the spendings for implementing two major initiatives the Partnership Framework with non-EU countries under the European Agenda on Migration and the European Fund for Sustainable Development (EFSD) to tackle causes of migration.
Established in September 2017, the EFSD is one of the financial instruments for a pro-active development aid policy. The EFSD aims to support investments primarily in Africa and the Union’s Neighbourhood as a means to contribute to the achievement of the SDGs, and, in particular poverty eradication. By supporting such investments, the EFSD aims to address specific socio-economic root causes of migration, including irregular migration, and to contribute to the sustainable reintegration of migrants returning to their countries of origin and to the strengthening of transit and host communities.
The EFSD is guided by the objectives of the Union’s external action as set out in Article 21 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) and of Union policy in the field of development cooperation as set out in Article 208 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). The EFSD should contribute to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, which recognises international migration as a multi-dimensional reality of major relevance for the development of countries of origin, transit and destination, requiring coherent and comprehensive responses, while underlining the potential for migrants to contribute to inclusive growth and sustainable development. Investments supported by the EFSD should contribute towards addressing migratory pressures stemming from poverty, conflict, instability, underdevelopment, inequality, human rights violations, demographic growth, and the lack of employment and economic opportunities, as well as from climate change.
