
Aid is not a migration deterrent — it never should be, and here’s why
Tuesday’s (5 May) vote in the European Parliament’s development committee was a political containment exercise. The cordon sanitaire held, but the compromise should not be mistaken for a complete victory on substance. One of the key debates during the negotiations of the report concerned conditionality — specifically, whether development aid should depend on third countries’ cooperation on returns and readmission.

