Interim report on the proposal for the multiannual financial framework for 2028-2034
The European Parliament adopted by 370 votes to 201, with 84 abstentions, a resolution on the proposal for a Council regulation laying down the Multiannual Financial Framework for the years 2028 to 2034.
Parliament called for the 2028-2034 MFF to be set at 1.27% of the EU's gross national income (GNI), and for debt repayments under NextGenerationEU, amounting to an additional 0.11% of the EU's GNI, to be excluded from the 1.27% and counted beyond the ceilings. It reiterated that the next MFF must be more ambitious in quantitative terms and must be protected against inflationary shocks.
Members strongly opposed any move that would lead to the fragmentation of the single market or the re-nationalisation of the EU budget and resolutely reject any development towards an "à la carte" Union.
Parliament noted that the next MFF should focus on financing European public goods with tangible added value compared to national spending, such as cross-border projects. It also stressed that regional and local authorities should be fully involved in the planning and implementation of programmes.
It advocated targeted strategic investments of EU funds to address the needs of businesses and citizens in priority areas such as housing, energy, and security. It also stressed the importance of a consistent and uniform set of tools reflecting EU values, encompassing democracy, the rule of law, and fundamental rights, across the entire EU budget.
Heading 1 - “Europe’s social model and quality of life”
Parliament noted that Heading 1 is allocated EUR 797.2 billion in 2025 prices, after excluding amounts earmarked for the repayment of the New Generation EU debt, representing 45% of the total 2028-2034 MFF. It considered this substantial cut unacceptable and recommended increasing the allocation for this heading to at least maintain funding at the current MFF level. It therefore argued for significant, separate, and sufficient funding for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the Common Fisheries Policy, Cohesion Policy, the European Social Fund, and Home Affairs.
Members deplored the fact that the regulation on National Risk Plans (NRPs) merges different policies into a single plan per Member State. They insisted that the "one plan per Member State" approach erodes the European dimension of the EU budget and the objectives of its common policies.
Members called for, inter alia, the following:
- a solid earmarked budget to the CAP, in the next MFF, of EUR 433.01 billion in current prices (i.e. EUR 385.12 billion in constant 2025 prices);
- the envelope reserved for fisheries and aquaculture in the MFF amounts is guaranteed to at least EUR 7.29 billion in current prices (i.e. EUR 6.50 billion in constant 2025 prices);
- that the cohesion policy remains a distinct policy with a robust dedicated budget and is earmarked in the next MFF, with a total amount of EUR 248.37 billion in current prices (i.e. EUR 222.00 billion in constant 2025 prices) for the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), EUR 46.99 billion in current prices (i.e. EUR 42.00 billion in constant 2025 prices) for the Cohesion Fund and EUR 11.57 billion in current prices (i.e. EUR 10.34 billion in constant 2025 prices) for Interreg;
- that the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) remains an autonomous and separate programme with a specific financial envelope of EUR 124.19 billion in current prices (i.e. EUR 110.73 billion in constant 2025 prices);
- an increase in the amounts allocated to asylum and migration policies, border management and security to EUR 38.04 billion in current prices (or EUR 34 billion in constant prices).
Heading 2 - “Competitiveness, prosperity and security”
Parliament welcomed the significant strengthening of policies under this heading, whose budget (EUR 522.2 billion in 2025 prices) has been doubled compared to the current period. It recognised the need to strengthen the EU's capacity for action in key strategic areas, including competitiveness, defence and security, research and innovation, the twin transition, infrastructure, health and crisis preparedness, education, and culture. It therefore called for an appropriate strengthening of priority programmes, including the European Competitiveness Fund (ECF), Horizon Europe, the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), Erasmus+, AgoraEU, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM+), with earmarking for EU4Health and LIFE-related actions under the ECF.
Parliament specifically requested:
- to provide the ECF with a budget of EUR 264.35 billion current prices (i.e. EUR 234 billion in current 2025 prices);
- a budget of EUR 200 billion in current prices (i.e. EUR 177.01 billion in constant prices) for Horizon Europe;
- an allocation of EUR 91.29 billion in current prices (i.e. EUR 81 billion in constant 2025 prices) for the CEF in order to adequately support energy, transport and military mobility;
- a budget of EUR 47.39 billion in current prices (i.e. EUR 42 billion in constant 2025 prices) for Erasmus+.
Heading 3 - “Global Europe”
Parliament advocated for an appropriate increase in the humanitarian aid budget (EUR 190 billion in 2025 prices) to enable the Union to support future enlargement, respond to growing development needs, humanitarian crises, and peace-building efforts, provide support to Ukraine and other partners, and uphold the Union's values, human rights, and democracy globally while strengthening multilateralism. It insisted that the humanitarian aid budget must remain segregated with a sufficient annual baseline allocation. It argued for a strengthening of the budget for overseas countries and territories, given the recent threats to Greenland's territorial integrity and the broader geopolitical context.
Members believe that the budget for the Global Europe instrument should be increased to EUR 225 billion in current prices (or EUR 198.63 billion in constant 2025 prices).
Special Instruments
Parliament restated that there should be a second special instrument, the Solidarity Reserve for Natural Disasters, amounting to EUR 4 billion per year in 2025 constant prices to be mobilised over and above the MFF ceilings, dedicated to ensuring solidarity in the event of natural disasters. It welcomed the establishment of the Ukraine Reserve (EUR 88 billion) over and above the MFF ceilings but called for an increase and frontloading of the Reserve, with a view to providing additional support to Ukraine.
New own resources
Members reaffirmed their strong commitment to introducing new own resources to repay the debt linked to NextGenerationEU and to finance the budget. They support the Commission's proposed basket-approach and stressed that these new revenue streams should be adopted alongside the next MFF and generate around EUR 60 billion per year. Should some proposals be rejected, Members called for alternative solutions to be considered, such as a digital services tax, an online gambling tax, an expansion of the carbon border adjustment mechanism, or a tax on capital gains from the sale of crypto-assets.