The start of the year confirms that Europe's security, political and economic environment has changed, and the next long-term European Union budget must adapt accordingly.
With growing instability at our borders and allies disengaging, the new Multiannual Financial Framework must become a real security budget. This means investing in defense, border management and cybersecurity, but also energy security. At the same time, it must continue to deliver on agriculture and cohesion, indispensable for Europe's competitiveness and social stability.
Traditional and new priorities must equal a stronger budget, not a reshuffling of existing funds. This is why the European Parliament rejected the "a la carte" approach of the European Commission's initial draft.
This article is part of The Parliament's special policy report "Mapping the EU's long-term budget"
We oppose the idea of merging several EU policies into single national plans — the so-called National and Regional Partnership Plans — without a genuine European framework.
Europe cannot be built on 27 national shopping lists. Such an approach would create uncertainty for beneficiaries and force farmers and regions to compete for the same limited resources. Agriculture and cohesion are shared European priorities and must be backed by separate, stable and predictable funding.
The Parliament has already delivered tangible results in improving the initial proposal of the seven-year budget. In the first rounds of interinstitutional negotiations last year, the Parliament safeguarded funding for rural areas by securing a dedicated 10% quota of the non-allocated funds under the NRPPs. A regional check has also been introduced, ensuring local authorities are fully involved in the design and implementation of the national plans.
We also protected cohesion policy by guaranteeing that member states cannot reduce cohesion funding by more than 25% compared with the previous period without proper justification.
This is only the start. The Parliament will continue to stand by farmers, businesses and regions. We will continue working toward a stronger and fairer budget — one able to address the challenges Europe faces.
To achieve this, we have set clear priorities for this year's final negotiations with the Commission and the Council. These will be reflected in the Parliament's official position, which is due to be adopted as an interim report this spring.
First, new ambitions require new resources. Security and competitiveness need additional funding, but not at the expense of agriculture and cohesion. Security also means food security, and only a strong, renovated cohesion policy can ensure that all regions contribute to and benefit from Europe’s competitiveness. A budget that merely matches the previous one in real terms cannot meet growing expectations.
Nevertheless, increases to the budget must remain moderate, well-justified and focused on areas with clear European added value. We should spend more on what Europe can deliver better than the member states acting individually.
That is why the Parliament is calling for a targeted 10% increase in the next MFF compared with the Commission’s proposal. We also support the creation of a solid basket of EU "own resources," generating around 60 billion euros annually to avoid additional pressure on national budgets.
Second, a stronger budget must go hand-in-hand with stronger transparency. Flexibility is key, and we support it, but not at the expense of democratic scrutiny, as the Commission’s current proposal risks doing.
Adaptability and transparency must advance together. Therefore, budget lines need to remain sufficiently detailed to allow meaningful parliamentary oversight and keep funding for individual priorities visible and accountable.
Finally, democratic accountability is non-negotiable. The Parliament is the EU's sole directly elected institution and must retain its role as co-legislator and budgetary authority. The Parliament will not consent to any MFF that weakens this function.
We want a strong budget that is adopted on time. Its effectiveness depends on entering into force without delay, which is why our objective is to finalize negotiations by the end of 2026.
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