An initial “marathon” discussion lasting almost four hours on the 2028-2034 Multiannual Financial Framework was held at the Committee of Permanent Representatives of the Member States to the EU (Coreper) on Wednesday 24 September. Several diplomatic sources reported a lively, almost “cacophonous” exchange between the States, most of which are still “stuck on their old positions”.
The structure of four main pillars - National and Regional Partnership Plans, Competitiveness Funds, Europe in the World Funds and a pillar for European public administration - has been widely explained by the Commission, which is doing “everything it can (...) to get Member States to dare to take the risk of supporting [it]”, a source told Agence Europe.
According to another source, a majority of countries are, for example, still opposed to the inclusion of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in National and Regional Partnership Plans. The Member States have also expressed scepticism about the new own resources package proposed by the European Commission (see EUROPE 13684/2).
Defence, the balance to be struck in research programmes such as Horizon Europe between funding projects on the basis of their scientific excellence or a fair distribution between EU regions, and the balance between flexibility and predictability in the budget were also at the centre of the discussions, according to several diplomatic sources.
Support for Ukraine and the need to guarantee solid measures for the Rule of law are shared by most Member States.
Unsurprisingly, the amounts (budget too high or too low) divide the Member States. For this reason, the first draft of the negotiating framework (‘negobox’), which the Danish Presidency of the EU Council aims to present before the December European Council, will be without figures.
The President of the European Council, António Costa, intends to conclude negotiations on the 2028-2034 MFF in December 2026. The Member States know that they will need time to negotiate their national plans with the European Commission, with a view to smooth implementation of the new budget from 1 January 2028.
The Member States’ European Affairs Ministers will be discussing the issue at the General Affairs Council in October. The EU27 ambassadors to the EU will be preparing the ground for this discussion at Coreper. (Original version in French by Florent Servia)