European Court of Auditors. Special report 17/2025: EU aid for trade to least developed countries – Needs are being tackled, but EU funding is not on track to meet 2030 target

Developing countries and the world’s least developed countries in particular face significant challenges that hamper their access to regional and global trade. Assistance through aid for trade aims to help them build trade capacity and infrastructure. In 2017, the EU updated its own aid for trade strategy, with increased focus on least developed countries. We examined whether the Commission properly targeted, implemented and monitored EU aid for trade to these countries. We found that while this support is generally being delivered in line with the needs, it is not on track to meet the strategy’s 2030 funding target. We make five recommendations aimed at improving the Commission’s management of EU aid for trade to least developed countries.