High Representative/Vice-President Kaja Kallas chaired her first Foreign Affairs Council meeting with EU development ministers, with discussions focused on the impact of USAID withdrawal and the question of where the European Union could help fill gaps.
Speaking before the meeting in Brussels, Kallas said ministers would examine the consequences of reduced United States development aid and consider how the EU could respond. The issue was presented as both a humanitarian and geopolitical challenge.
The discussion also reflected growing concern that development policy is increasingly connected to security, resilience and global influence. Kallas indicated that Europe needed to consider how to do more while using limited resources effectively.
The meeting showed that EU development policy is being debated in a new international context, where aid reductions by major donors can create openings for instability and weaken support for vulnerable communities.