Event: At the borders of aid

Erik Marquardt on 22. September 2026

Development Cooperation and the externalisation of EU and Italian migration policies

Over recent decades, externalisation has become a central EU approach to migration, with development cooperation and ODA playing a key role. The process has not been free of criticism and controversy, especially since the adoption of the NDICI-Global Europe Instrument, which included a 10% target for migration and forced displacement.

As NDICI implementation comes to an end, ActionAid’s analysis of projects funded in North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, alongside Italian-funded projects, shows how the migration-development nexus has evolved into a development-for-deterrence approach, shaped by aid diversion, competing priorities, and conditionality.

Join us to explore these findings and discuss how the EU can rethink this nexus in the ongoing MFF negotiations and the next Global Europe Instrument.

Program:

12:00-12:15 | Welcome Drinks and Snacks

12:15-12:25 | Opening Remarks MEP Erik Marquardt (Greens/EFA)

12:25-12:55 | At The Borders of Aid – Report Presentation: Eva Baluganti & Lorenzo Figoni (ActionAid)

12:55-13:40 | Discussion: How Can We Reframe the Narrative Around the Migration-Development Nexus? MEP Tineke Strik (Greens/EFA), MEP Erik Marquardt, MEP Marco Tarquinio (S&D), Roberto Sensi (ActionAid), European Commission (TBC)

13:40-14:05 | Q&A and Plenary Discussion

14:05-14:15 | Concluding Remarks MEP Marco Tarquinio (S&D)

If you would like to attend, please register here.

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Category: Miscellaneous