Amendments tabled by the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) Group to a European Parliament motion for a resolution on the Joint Communication on Humanitarian Aid would reframe the text to prioritise religious persecution, migration control, aid conditionality, and cost-efficiency over gender equality and automatic humanitarian exemptions. The amendments, dated 6 July 2026 and referred to the Committee on Development, were proposed by ECR MEPs Małgorzata Gosiewska, Mariusz Kamiński, Kristoffer Storm, and Dick Erixon. They are still to be examined and voted in committee before any plenary position is adopted.
The amendments target several recitals and paragraphs. In Recital D, they would add “threats posed by religious extremism” and “persecution of Christians” as access constraints. Recital J would replace gender-equality language with a focus on distributing aid based on transparent needs assessments to strengthen local self-reliance. Recital K would insert conditions for EU support requiring partner cooperation on preventing illegal migration and ensuring return and readmission of those without protection rights.
In the operational paragraphs, the ECR amendments would reverse the call for humanitarian exemptions in restrictive measures (Paragraph 4), instead urging strict oversight to prevent misuse of aid. Paragraph 11 would shift from gender equality and sexual and reproductive health to cost-effective delivery, supply chain reform, and strategic alliances with like-minded partners.
The proposed changes reflect a cleavage between security and migration control on one hand and humanitarian principles and gender equality on the other. For EU humanitarian aid recipients, the amendments could mean more conditional assistance tied to migration cooperation, potentially reducing access for vulnerable groups. For EU taxpayers, the focus on cost-efficiency and oversight may increase accountability but could also slow disbursement. For NGOs and humanitarian partners, stricter conditions and reduced emphasis on gender programming could limit operational flexibility. For the European Commission, the amendments would require renegotiating partnership agreements with aid recipients to include migration clauses.
The amendments are at an early stage; the Committee on Development will examine them before any plenary vote. The Council and the European External Action Service, which co-authored the Joint Communication, will follow the Parliament's final position.