European Parliament Approves Objection to EUR 156 Million Tanzania Funding Plan

The European Parliament has approved a resolution objecting to the European Commission’s proposed EUR 156 million Annual Action Plan for Tanzania in 2026, formally endorsing a position previously adopted by parliamentary committees and calling on the Commission to withdraw the financing proposal and submit a new one.

The resolution was adopted during a plenary vote on 18 June 2026, following an objection approved by the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) and Committee on Development (DEVE) on 3 June.

The vote elevates the objection from a committee position to the formal position of the European Parliament.

In the resolution, Parliament argued that the proposed financing decision does not adequately address concerns raised by lawmakers in November 2025 and said the European Commission had failed to sufficiently respond to issues previously highlighted by Parliament.

The European lawmakers called on the Commission to withdraw the draft implementing decision and submit a new proposal while ensuring continued support for the provision of basic services, human rights, democracy, and civil society organisations.

According to the resolution, the revised proposal presented by the Commission in May 2026 maintained broadly the same overall amount and actions as the previous draft that had already faced parliamentary opposition, although implementation was shifted largely toward indirect management rather than direct budget support to Tanzanian authorities.

The resolution cites several concerns, including the aftermath of Tanzania’s October 2025 elections, the findings of the national commission of inquiry into election-related violence, the refusal of a visit by a delegation from the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights, and the continued detention of Chadema chairman Tundu Lissu.

The outcome of the plenary vote was published by the European Parliament on 18 June 2026.

Tanzanian Government’s Response

In a statement issued on 19 June 2026, Tanzania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation rejected what it described as inaccurate interpretations of the European Parliament vote circulating in some media outlets and social media.

The ministry said the vote does not constitute the European Union’s final decision regarding the 2026 partnership programme and described it as part of the EU’s internal decision-making process through which Parliament provides recommendations to institutions responsible for making final decisions.

According to the government, the resolution does not suspend funding for partnership programmes in Tanzania. Instead, the ministry said Parliament had recommended that the programme be reviewed and resubmitted.

The government also argued that any review of the programme would require consultation and agreement between Tanzania and the European Union before being formalised through a Joint Financial Agreement.

The ministry further stated that only EUR 17 million of the EUR 156 million package had been intended for direct implementation through government systems.

According to the statement, approximately EUR 139 million had already been earmarked for implementation through European Union institutions, institutions of EU member states and civil society organisations, meaning that the majority of the funding was not intended to flow directly through government systems.

The ministry additionally argued that some issues raised in the parliamentary resolution did not fully reflect conditions in Tanzania or measures taken by the government following the events of October 2025.

EU-Tanzania Funding Dispute

The latest vote is the newest development in a dispute that began in late 2025.

In November 2025, the European Parliament adopted a resolution objecting to the Commission’s proposed 2025 financing decision for Tanzania and separately passed a resolution concerning post-election violence and the country’s human rights situation.

Following those developments, the European Commission suspended the adoption process for the 2025 Annual Action Plan.

A revised financing proposal was subsequently presented to the NDICI Committee on 20 May 2026.

On 3 June 2026, the AFET and DEVE committees adopted a motion objecting to the revised proposal, arguing that the Commission had failed to adequately address concerns previously raised by Parliament and calling for a new proposal to be submitted.

The objection was subsequently brought before the European Parliament plenary, where it was approved on 18 June 2026.

While the resolution increases political pressure on the European Commission regarding the proposed Tanzania programme, it does not itself cancel the EUR 156 million funding package.

Any changes to the programme will depend on subsequent decisions within the European Union’s institutional process and discussions between the European Commission and the Tanzanian government.