24 years of EU external aid in motion:

who are the main recipients.

Watch our new racing-bar video of the top 15 recipient countries for European Commission service contracts, 2001–2024.

Early 2000s: pre-accession and neighbourhood front-runners

In the first years of the series, the top positions are dominated by Central and Eastern European and Western Balkan countries who are candidates. In 2001–2002, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Poland lead the scoreboard. Between 2003–2007, Romania becomes the star performer, taking first place in five consecutive years and reflecting the intense pre-accession support in the run-up to its EU membership. Around them, you’ll see Serbia, Kosovo, Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria and Croatia consistently inside the top 15, underlining the strong focus on enlargement and immediate neighbourhood in this period.

The rise of Turkey: from challenger to dominant recipient

From 2008 onwards, a new pattern appears. Turkey steps onto the top of the podium. In 2008, Turkey reaches no. 1 for the first time. Between 2010–2014, Turkey repeatedly holds the top recipient position, with Serbia, Kosovo and Croatia close behind. Turkey enters a “super-cycle” of dominance between 2015-2020. It is no. 1 in every year of this period. The peak comes in 2015, when Turkey receives around €184 million in service contracts – the highest single-year amount for any country in the entire 2001–2024 series. Turkey surge ahead and stay there for more than a decade, embodying its central role in EU external action, especially under the Instrument for Pre-Accession (IPA) and migration-related support.

Western Balkans and Eastern neighbourhood: the ever-present core

While Turkey often leads, several countries form a stable “core group” that appear again and again in the top 15. Serbia appears in the top 15 in 23 out of 24 years, making it the most consistently high-ranking country. Turkey follows closely with 22 appearances. Ukraine appears 21 times, and Kosovo 20 times.

This continuity shows how Western Balkans and Eastern neighbourhood countries remain long-term priority partners for EU-funded technical assistance and advisory services.

A more global picture: Africa and Asia move up

From around 2015 onwards, you’ll notice a growing presence of African and Asian countries in the top ranks alongside the traditional neighbourhood. Countries such as Algeria, Nigeria, Kenya, Mali, Ethiopia, Tunisia, Morocco and Somalia appear more frequently among the top 15. In 2021, Burkina Faso actually takes first place, ahead of Turkey, signalling a strong shift of service contracts towards Sub-Saharan Africa in that year. By 2023, Serbia returns to the top spot, but it shares the top 15 with a diverse mix including Kenya, Malawi, Tajikistan and Nigeria.

The very recent years: China enters first place

The latest year in the series, 2024, shows another interesting twist. China moves into no. 1, just ahead of Serbia, with Turkey still firmly in third place. The top 15 also features Albania, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Vietnam, Cambodia, Japan, Canada and the United States, underlining how service contracts are now spread across a much more global map while the Western Balkans remain central.

Russia: the fading star

Russia is one of the clearest “fade-out” stories in the racing bar. In the early 2000s it sits comfortably in the top three recipients of EU external aid service contracts – ranked 3rd in 2002 and 2003, and even rising to 2nd place in 2005. Through 2006 it is still in the top three, but after that you see it steadily slips down the table. By 2007 Russia is mid-pack, and in 2008–2009 it only just clings on inside the top 15. From 2010 onwards, Russia never re-enters the top 15 in any year and quietly disappears from the race.

Want to go beyond the video?

The racing bars are just the tip of the iceberg. Inside EuropeAidContracts.com, you can:

• • Drill down by country, year, sector or contracting authority

• • See individual service tenders, contractors and shortlisted candidates

• • Combine this with our new AI-driven prediction tools for ongoing tenders

If you’d like to explore how these trends affect your own business development or partnership strategy, or how the performance of your business has evolved throughout the years, simply log in to your account – or contact us for a short walkthrough of the data behind the animation.

Caveats:

• Based on public data as announced by European Commission.

• Figures cover service contracts only.

• For smooth transition in the video, five year moving average is used.

Although every care has been taken in compiling this information, the underlying data may contain errors or omissions. EuropeAidContracts.com cannot accept responsibility for any loss arising from reliance on this material.