The European Commission published a Communication on ‘The Road to the next Multiannual Financial Framework’. It outlines the key policy and budgetary challenges that will shape the design of the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). This lays the groundwork for reflections on how to adapt the EU’s long-term budget to evolving needs and priorities. With this Communication, the Commission also launches in parallel a Europe-wide campaign with a range of stakeholders, including Member States governments, regional entities, and citizens.
An EU budget at the heart of EU priorities
The European budget supports citizens, farmers, researchers, businesses and regions across Europe and beyond. It has proven essential for improving the lives of Europeans. Together with NextGenerationEU, it helped overcome a pandemic and energy crisis, while saving millions of jobs during lockdowns and investing in our clean and digital future. The EU budget also provided unprecedented support to Ukraine and the security of Europe, in the face of Russia’s war of aggression.
The next long-term budget, which will start in 2028, needs to square the circle: the expectations from the EU to act are steadily increasing. For the EU budget to be fit for our ambitions, ensure the repayment of the borrowing for NextGenerationEU and, at the same time, provide stable national financial contributions from Member States, we need to introduce new own resources. The status quo is not an option. Choices need to be made. The EU must maximise the impact of every euro it spends, focusing on EU priorities and objectives where EU action is most needed.
New challenges and expectations for EU action require reconsidering the way the EU budget works to make it fit for the future. The objective of a free, democratic, strong, secure, prosperous and competitive Europe calls for a reformed and reinforced EU budget – simpler, more flexible, more targeted and impactful.
The new approach for a modern EU budget should include a plan for each country with key reforms and investments, designed and implemented in partnership with national, regional, and local authorities. A European Competitiveness Fund should establish an investment capacity to support strategic sectors and critical technologies. Also, a revamped external action financing should be more impactful, targeted and aligned with strategic interests, contributing to a new foreign policy. The budget should also build in additional safeguards protecting the rule of law. Furthermore, the EU budget should be able to rely on modernised revenues to ensure sufficient and sustainable financing for our common priorities.
Designing the budget together
The EU budget benefits all Europeans, and they should have the opportunity to express their views on the future of the EU budget. That is why the Commission launches today a public consultation inviting stakeholders and citizens to have their say on the future EU budget and the policies it should support. The consultations will be open for the next 12 weeks. They can be accessed via the following links:
- Implementing EU Funds with Member States and regions
- EU funding for competitiveness
- EU funding for external action
- EU funding for cross-border education, training and solidarity, youth, media, culture, and creative sectors, values, and civil society
- EU funding for civil protection, preparedness and response to crises
- EU funding for the single market, and cooperation between national authorities
- Performance of the EU budget
A citizens’ panel will gather 150 Europeans to debate and make concrete recommendations for the next EU budget. It will be accompanied by an online platform offering everyone the opportunity to participate in the debate. In addition, Commissioner Serafin is undertaking a Tour d’Europe throughout 2025 to engage in one-to-one consultations with Member State authorities, regional stakeholders and beneficiaries of the EU budget.
The Commission welcomes the involvement in the reflections on the future EU budget by all EU institutions and bodies as well as the partners who implement the EU budget.
The Commission will present its formal proposal for the next Multiannual Financial Framework in July 2025, with a view to securing a timely agreement before its implementation in January 2028.
Source: European Commission | Press Corner (https://shorturl.at/Ssc7C)