EU, Germany cut off development aid to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan

The European Union has cut off development funding and government assistance to Afghanistan following the Taliban’s takeover, Josep Borrell, the EU’s top diplomat, confirmed Tuesday following an extraordinary meeting of European foreign ministers.

“No payments are going to Afghanistan right now until we clarify the situation,” he said. “We have to see what kind of government the Taliban is going to organize.”

The EU has pledged €1.2 billion ($1.4 billion) in emergency and development assistance to Afghanistan between 2021 and 2025, but the funds are contingent on several conditions, including that they be used to promote human rights and fundamental freedoms, especially for women and children. Borrell said those conditions remain in place.

“Depending on the respect of these principles, we use our leverage from the point of view of development aid and partnerships,” he said.

Peter Stano, an EU spokesperson for foreign affairs and security policy told Devex the funding situation remains fluid.

“The EU and its member states are currently assessing the developments in Afghanistan and all our activities related to this country are currently being reviewed in the light of the latest developments,” he said. “Since this is a fast-moving and developing situation, no final decision has been taken yet, but we will have to reflect on what happened in Afghanistan in shaping our future engagement.”

While the European Commission cannot dictate the policies of EU member states, Borrell said he expected European countries to act in a “coordinated way.”

Even before his announcement, Germany had declared that it was suspending funding for development programs. Development Minister Gerd Müller confirmed the move Tuesday, freezing the €250 million in development funding earmarked for Afghanistan this year. Mueller told German media that none of those funds have yet been disbursed.

It is not clear if the suspension is permanent.

“The situation in Afghanistan is currently in flux,” an official source in Germany’s Foreign Ministry told Devex. “We are therefore focusing on the acute challenges at present, including the evacuation of German nationals and local forces. We will address the question of how to shape our development cooperation in due course.”

While the EU and Germany moved to cut off development funds, Borrell confirmed that Europe would maintain humanitarian aid — and potentially increase it.

“Humanitarian help is needed, whatever the political circumstances are,” he said. “The people in Afghanistan will need a lot of humanitarian help.”

Simone Pott, a spokesperson at Welthungerhilfe, a German aid organization that focuses on easing food insecurity, said it was crucial that humanitarian support be maintained. Welthungerhilfe draws funding from the German government for both humanitarian and development work.

“Humanitarian aid is absolutely crucial and desperately needed in the country,” she told Devex. “We’re trying to raise the flag about that.” Much of her organization’s work centers on addressing food insecurity in a country where 13 million people currently face food shortages. She warned that the situation could get dramatically worse if large numbers of people are displaced in the current crisis.

Pott said the Taliban has actually approached NGOs to ask if they will continue their work and Welthungerhilfe is considering restarting some programs in Afghanistan’s northern provinces, if they are able to do so safely and they can be adapted to the current situation.

“We must check the terms and procedures that are going on on the ground now,” she said. “We all need a bit more clarity. But we don’t want to leave the Afghan people who are in desperate need of humanitarian aid.”