The EU General Affairs Council (GAC), under the Cyprus Presidency, agreed on Tuesday, in Luxembourg, its partial negotiating position for the new Global Europe instrument, the EU’s main financing tool for external action for the period 2028-2034.
Under the new instrument, the EU’s external financing architecture will be streamlined by consolidating several existing tools into a single framework. It brings together development, neighbourhood, enlargement and foreign policy instruments, combining programmable and non-programmable actions.
The structure is built around six complementary pillars, five geographic pillars and a strengthened global pillar, aiming to uphold the EU’s values, advance its strategic interests worldwide, promote sustainable development, strengthen mutually beneficial partnerships, support effective multilateralism and assist candidate and potential candidate countries on their path towards EU integration.
In a statement, Cyprus Foreign Minister, Constantinos Kombos, said that “in an increasingly unpredictable world, the EU needs an external action instrument that is both strategic and flexible.” As he noted today’s agreement further strengthens “EU’s ability to support our partners, advance enlargement, respond to emerging challenges and promote the Union’s interests and values globally.”
“It sends a clear message that the EU is ready to act with unity and ambition on the world stage,” Kombos added.
This partial position excludes financial and horizontal issues, which are currently being discussed as part of the negotiations on the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2028-2034. It also introduces changes aimed at ensuring that Global Europe remains a flexible and effective instrument, while strengthening the role of Member States in setting strategic priorities and overseeing implementation.
The text places greater emphasis on enlargement and the EU neighbourhood, while enhancing the instrument’s capacity to address migration pressures and emerging geopolitical challenges. The Council’s position also strengthens the strategic role of member states in the governance of the instrument, providing for more structured exchanges between the Council and the European Commission through annual strategic discussions and regular dialogue on programming and implementation.
The agreed approach reinforces member states’ role in supporting enlargement partners and countries in the Eastern neighbourhood, while maintaining a central role for the Council in determining whether conditions for disbursements to Ukraine have been fulfilled. The new framework also establishes an emerging challenges and priorities mechanism, allowing the EU to respond more rapidly to unforeseen global crises, natural disasters or migration-related challenges.
On migration and forced displacement, the Council agreed on a balanced framework for cooperation with partner countries, combining incentives for cooperation with a suspension mechanism linked to international obligations, including the readmission of their own nationals. The agreement preserves the principle of open and fair competition while allowing for the promotion of European preference and the participation of European companies in procurement procedures in strategic sectors such as energy, digital technologies and critical infrastructure.
The Council’s position also strengthens the Team Europe approach, reinforcing cooperation between EU institutions, Member States and European financial institutions, while increasing the role of the European Investment Bank and reinforcing Global Gateway as the EU’s strategy for sustainable and trusted global investment partnerships.
The partial negotiating position approved by the GAC constitutes the Council’s mandate to begin negotiations with the European Parliament on Global Europe. The final budget of the instrument for 2028-2034 will depend on the overall agreement on the next Multiannual Financial Framework.