EU Budget Support Delay: Government Rejects Link to Judicial Case, Clarifies Reason for 2026 Disbursement Shift
Government Clarifies EU Budget Support Disbursement to Sierra Leone Note: According to the Information and Civic Education Minister. The Government of Sierra Leone has clarified reports linking the European Union’s 2026 budget-support disbursement to ongoing discussions between Sierra Leone and the Kingdom of the Netherlands on judicial cooperation. According to the Government, the European Commission formally communicated its decision regarding the 2026 disbursement in July. The reasons provided, the Government said, related to the timing of Sierra Leone’s request to amend the Financing Agreement and the resulting difficulty of completing the required processes within the 2026 reporting cycle. As a result, the European Commission proposed rescheduling the 2026 and 2027 disbursements to 2027 and 2028 respectively, with the targets for the 2027 disbursement already agreed. The Government acknowledged that the postponement of the 2026 disbursement represents a setback, b...