On Thursday 20 November, the Danish Presidency of the Council of the European Union updated its draft negotiating framework for Pillar 1 - National and Regional Partnership Plans (NRPPs) - of the 2028-2034 Multiannual Financial Framework, based on the revision proposed by the European Commission (see EUROPE 13749/2).
Yielding to pressure from the European Parliament (see EUROPE 13742/1), the Commission has made a number of changes designed to reassure MEPs that the amounts allocated to the CAP and cohesion in the MFF will be maintained, and that the Regions and Parliament will play a role in drawing up the EU budget.
The Danish Presidency has included these revisions in its latest proposal for a negotiating framework, which Agence Europe is publishing, specifically: - introduce a rural objective, which will have to guarantee a minimum percentage of plan funds for the Common Agricultural Policy and fisheries; - ask Member States to designate regional authorities, which will be able to liaise directly with the European Commission in drawing up NRPPs; - limit the reduction in cohesion funding by Member States for the least developed regions to a maximum of 25% compared to the previous period.
On the other hand, the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU does not include in its draft negotiating framework the introduction of an annual trilogue on the political priorities of the annual budget, which would take place before the European Commission’s annual budget proposal and which would give the Parliament a greater role.
The Member States are not in favour of greater involvement of Parliament in setting the EU budget (see EUROPE 13753/1). The negotiating framework for the 2028-2034 MFF will be on the agenda for the European Summit in December. (Original version in French by Florent Servia)