According to draft conclusions dated 16 December, the European Council meeting on Thursday 18 and Friday 19 December is expected to take note of the initial preparatory work on the European Union’s future Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for the period 2028-2034, with no decision expected for the time being.
The Heads of State and Government are due to discuss the ‘negotiating box’ drawn up by the Danish Presidency of the EU Council (see EUROPE 13768/24) - which has taken up the European Commission’s main principles (see EUROPE 13682/1) as the basis for future negotiations - to structure the forthcoming discussions between Member States on the architecture and main priorities of the next European budget (see EUROPE 13769/7).
This non-binding document, still devoid of figures, marks the first formal stage in the round of negotiations on the MFF. It will help to identify the political parameters that will guide the technical work over the coming months, ahead of the fundamental decisions expected between now and 2026.
Compared with an earlier version of the draft conclusions dated 8 December (https://aeur.eu/f/jx3 ), the reference to a favourable reception was toned down in the 12 December versions.
The reference according to which the European Council “welcomes” this negotiating box has disappeared and the leaders now simply “took note” and mention an exchange of views.
Similarly, while the objective of an agreement before the end of 2026 has been retained, it is now formulated indirectly, with the leaders calling on the future Presidency to “create the conditions” for an agreement to enable legislative acts to be adopted in 2027 and to avoid any interruption in funding in January 2028.
Ministerial discussions at the General Affairs Council on 16 December revealed dissension between Member States on the issue of correction mechanisms (see EUROPE 13774/25).
Italy, in particular, has argued that “the conditions are not ripe for convergence” on the negotiating box and considers the introduction, even on an optional basis, of references to rebates to be unacceptable, as they are seen as contrary to the objective of modernisation and the priority given to competitiveness.
Further work has now been postponed until the next Council Presidencies - Cyprus, then Ireland - in a context where the divisions over rebates, cohesion and the CAP are likely to continue to steer discussions.
See the draft conclusions: https://aeur.eu/f/k1d (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)