German Development Minister Svenja Schulze of the SPD considers the US withdrawal from development cooperation a significant strategic mistake. This decision will not only have consequences for humanitarian aid worldwide, the SPD politician said on Friday in the RBB24-Inforadio. States like China or Russia could fill the gap: “This will have consequences in the long run, because the US, through its development cooperation, has also gained partnerships in the world. And these partnerships, of course, will not exist without the money, but others will have to step in and, in doing so, will take the space for those who were previously the strategic opponents or partners.”
Schulze said that Germany will not cut its development cooperation. However, it is also clear that Europe cannot replace the sum of money previously provided by the US. “We cannot replace it and we are well advised to strengthen and not cut our development cooperation. We are an export nation, we live from it. Every second job depends on us being able to sell our products abroad. And if we want to still tap the markets of the future, we must invest in partnerships.