On Tuesday 3 October at the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, MEPs approved the report by Jan Olbrycht (EPP, Polish) and Margarida Marques (S&D, Portuguese) on the revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) by 393 votes to 136, with 92 abstentions. Parliament thus adopted its position and approved an addition of €10 billion to the additional €65.8 billion proposed by the European Commission (see EUROPE 13205/1).
“Our aim was an ambitious but realistic proposal for the revision of the MFF, and we have succeeded in making it targeted but comprehensive”, said Jan Olbrycht after the vote.
Margarida Marques, for her part, insisted on the importance of striking a balance between political ambition and financial resources. “It doesn’t matter what the political ambition is, if we don’t have the resources to fund that ambition”.
In the debate preceding the vote, a large majority of MEPs recognised the need to strengthen the MFF until 2027, “not to prepare for the future of the EU, but to provide an urgent response to the various crises”, as Eider Gardiazabal Rubial (S&D, Spanish) pointed out.
MEPs placed particular emphasis on responding to emerging challenges, such as natural disasters, migration management, the increase in debt linked to the cost of borrowing for Next Generation EU (see EUROPE 13199/22), but also the continuation of aid to Ukraine from 1 January 2024, since the revision of the MFF proposes the establishment of a ‘Ukraine Facility’ of up to €50 billion (see EUROPE 13205/1).
In its report, Parliament allocates €2 billion more than the Commission’s proposal to respond to external challenges, specifically the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine and migration, €5 billion more to deal with unforeseen crises and €3 billion for the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (see EUROPE 13205/3), thus highlighting the EU’s strategic autonomy, which will be discussed at the informal meeting of EU leaders in Granada (see EUROPE 13260/14) on 6 October.
The European Commissioner for the Budget, Johannes Hahn, once again supported the European Commission’s proposal, which he described as “balanced (and) aimed at supporting our priorities and covering our legal obligations”.
The co-rapporteurs called on the Member States to adopt their position as quickly as possible so that the revision could be approved before 31 December 2023 and allow an election year to begin with a 2024 budget in line with the revised MFF (see other news).
Representing the Council of the EU in the debate before the vote, Spain’s State Secretary for the European Union, Pascual Navarro Ríos, was keen to reassure Parliament of the Council’s determination to move forward. “The debate has just been opened in Coreper and we hope that there will soon be a basis for agreement”.
To see the European Parliament report, go to https://aeur.eu/f/8up (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)