Fragility and development: Council adopts conclusions on a stronger and more coordinated EU approach

Fragility and development: Council adopts conclusions on a stronger and more coordinated EU approach

The Council today adopted conclusions on a coherent approach to fragility, EU external action and sustainable development, stressing that fragility is an increasingly acute and systemic global challenge with direct consequences for international stability, security and development. In the conclusions, the Council underlines the need for a stronger, more coordinated and long-term approach to fragile contexts, based on the humanitarian-development-peace nexus and focused on addressing the root causes of fragility, including conflict, poverty and climate change.

The conclusions highlight the importance of continued, focused and sustained EU engagement in fragile partner countries and regions, in particular where fragility is high or extreme, including through development cooperation, flexible financing and closer Team Europe coordination, complemented by effective multilateralism and cooperation with local actors. The Council also stresses the importance of supporting resilient institutions, access to basic services, job creation and local ownership, while reaffirming the EU's commitment to human rights, gender equality and the empowerment of women and young people as key drivers of stability and sustainable development.

The conclusions also underline the importance of directing EU official development assistance towards fragile and conflict-affected contexts, to support resilience, stability and sustainable development.

The text also underlines that EU external action should remain coherent, conflict-sensitive and based on strong context analysis. The conclusions point to the potential of the Global Gateway strategy to support mutually beneficial partnerships, sustainable investments, stability and economic opportunities in fragile settings, alongside other EU tools and partnerships.

The Council additionally welcomes the 2025 report on the implementation of the EU's external action instruments and reaffirms the EU's position as the world's largest provider of official development assistance (ODA), representing 48% of global ODA in 2025, while noting with concern the historical decline in ODA worldwide in 2025 as reported by the OECD. The Council stresses the need for the EU and its member states to continue leading by example collectively as Team Europe.

The conclusions also address the European Court of Auditors' Special report on 'Commission support to fight hunger in Sub-Saharan Africa'. In that regard, the Council notes that, over the last decade (2014-2024), EU actions across instruments concluded contracts amounting to about EUR 23.2 billion for hunger-related initiatives with nearly half of that amount destined to Sub-Saharan Africa. In this context, the Council underlines the need to balance humanitarian support with long-term sustainable development outcomes and resilience building.

Council conclusions on a coherent approach to fragility, EU external action instruments and sustainable development outcomes

2025 annual report on the implementation of the European Union's external action instruments in 2024 (European Commission)

Preliminary 2025 ODA data (OECD)