The European Commission’s proposal for the 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) (see EUROPE 13682/1) is not acceptable to the European Parliament, reiterated its two co-rapporteurs, Siegfried Mureșan (EPP, Romanian) and Carla Tavares (S&D, Portuguese), on Tuesday 9 September in Strasbourg. The day before, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, had presented a broad outline to the Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament's political groups.
“This proposal is non-European, non-transparent, and not sufficient”, said Siegfried Mureșan in summary.
Not European insofar as the merging of more than 540 programmes – including those of the Common Agricultural Policy and Cohesion Policy, which are historical pillars of the budget – into 27 national plans amounts, in his view, to “renationalisation” of the MFF. Not transparent, because merging different programmes will make it “very difficult” to monitor funds. Finally, it was not sufficient, because as a proportion of GDP, the proposal for the 2028–2034 MFF is almost equivalent to the previous MFF, i.e. 1.15% for the next MFF, compared with 1.13% for the previous one.
However, new political priorities such as defence, competitiveness, etc. are being put forward. Siegfried Mureșan pointed out that the €2,000 billion figure suggested an increase in the budget – compared with the €1,200 billion in the current MFF – because it had been presented at current prices, i.e. without any sort of adjustment for inflation.
The MEPs also deplore the procedure whereby the European Parliament only intervenes at the end to adopt or reject the MFF proposal that has been debated between the Council of the EU and the European Commission. The co-rapporteurs warned that no role in the annual budget will be able to compensate for the European Parliament's reduced involvement in relation to the MFF.
“I would have liked a plenary debate as soon as possible”, said David Cormand (Greens/EFA, French) on Wednesday 10 September, hoping that it would be held during one of the two October plenary sessions.
Meanwhile, Siegfried Mureșan and Carla Tavares will be in Copenhagen on Thursday 11 and Friday 12 September, as Denmark holds the Presidency of the EU Council until the end of December 2025. In particular, they will be having discussions with the Danish Finance Minister, Nicolai Wammen, and the State Secretary for European Affairs and the Arctic, Jonas Bering Liisberg on cooperation between the European Parliament and Member States during the negotiations on the MFF.
EU Member States were sharply divided over the 2028–2034 MFF proposal at a meeting of European Affairs Ministers in July (see EUROPE 13684/2). (Original version in French by Florent Servia)