Foreign Ministry selecting areas for budget cuts

Development work in Israel and Palestine, the Middle East and the Balkans will be down-prioritised

Lucie Rychla

The Foreign Ministry has selected 25 areas within the development assistance framework that will be affected by the billion kroner budget cuts announced by the Danish government last year.

According to an internal document obtained by Politiken, the ministry will, for instance, down-prioritise its involvement in global disarmament initiatives, terror prevention, peace negotiations between Palestine and Israel, and activities in the Balkans.

The neighbourhood development program in Europe will be reduced from seven to two countries (Ukraine and Georgia) and the Arabic program will be downsized from seven to four countries.

READ MORE: Denmark will cut a further 1.5 billion kroner from foreign aid budget

Economic co-operation with the EU will be cut down and more money will instead be earmarked for migration issues.

Less will be spent on participation in international negotiations and meetings about public health or human rights issues as well as the protection of women and children in armed conflicts.

The ministry will also reduce home service personnel and revise communication efforts regarding development assistance.

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