More than 22% of official development assistance declared by European Union countries last year is “hot air” and not real aid, according to an analysis by NGOs, which warns of a huge increase in overcounting.
Total “inflated ODA” soared from €9.7 billion ($11.5 billion) in 2021 to €18.7 billion in 2022 — from 15.4% to 22.1% of reported spending — says the annual AidWatch report by CONCORD, the confederation for EU development groups.
It highlighted a “spectacular increase” in the sums diverted to paying the bills for hosting Ukrainian refugees in EU countries — calling for the rules to be changed to exclude so-called in-donor refugee costs, or IDRC, from ODA calculations.
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About the author
Rob Merrick
Rob Merrick is the U.K. Correspondent for Devex, covering FCDO and British aid. He reported on all the key events in British politics of the past 25 years from Westminster, including the financial crash, the Brexit fallout, the "Partygate" scandal, and the departures of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss. Rob has worked for The Independent and the Press Association and is a regular commentator on TV and radio. He can be reached at rob.merrick@devex.com.
