Meeting in Brussels, on Tuesday 26 May, the 27 European Affairs ministers will have a further exchange of views on the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), which is a priori the last one before the Cyprus Presidency unveils its negotiating box, expected in June.
However, no major breakthrough is expected at this General Affairs Council (GAC), according to several diplomatic sources, as the countries seem to be standing their ground on the subject of the common post-2027 budget. “Most of the delegations around the table are repeating their national positions for the time being – whether they are in favour of cohesion policy, the CAP, other priorities or, on the contrary, a smaller budget – without, at this stage, moving towards each other”, summed up a European diplomat on Friday 22 May.
Against this backdrop, the Cyprus Presidency is stepping up its bilateral exchanges to devise a negotiating framework that strikes a balance between the positions of the various Member States. This long-awaited document is expected to be unveiled at the latest ahead of the European Council meeting on 18 and 19 June. “The text will probably be circulated at the beginning of June... Everyone knows that this is not an easy exercise”, understated another diplomatic source on Friday.
“We’ll get down to the hard part of the negotiations once we have these figures on the table”, explains Benjamin Haddad, the French Minister Delegate for Europe.
“Negotiations on the MFF are always difficult, but these seem to be more so than ever before, given the multiple pressures on Europe”, said the first diplomat interviewed. “We need the leaders to get involved. They are the only ones to have a horizontal perspective: to see the security, industrial, migratory and financial challenges at the same time...”, said the same source.
An agreement between the EU27 on the overall architecture of the 2028-2034 MFF is still hoped for by the end of 2026, even if there is no guarantee that this deadline – set in order to anticipate the impact of several national elections, including the French presidential election in spring 2027 – will be met (see EUROPE 13866/15).
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, ministers will have a specific discussion on the link between the next budget and the deepening of the single market. “How can the proposed MFF and its instruments be strategically deployed to address remaining barriers to the Single Market, both through investments and reforms?”, asks a Council preparatory note. Drawn up by the Cyprus Presidency, this document highlights, among other things, the potential role of the future National and Regional Partnership Plans (‘NRPPs’), through which, in particular, Cohesion and Agricultural Policy (CAP) funds would be spent in the MFF.
However, this new way of working proposed by the Commission (see EUROPE 13682/1) raises concerns about the role of the regions (EUROPE 13864/4). “The centralising logic of the architecture of future national and regional plans (...), together with the dilution of historical cohesion policies (...), give rise to fears that the role of the regions in the governance, development and implementation of European funds will be weakened”, warned six leading French MEPs, including François-Xavier Bellamy (EPP), Marie Toussaint (Greens/EFA) and Raphaël Glucksmann (S&D), in a letter sent to the French Prime Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, on 19 May.
In addition to the next MFF, ministers will begin preparations for the European Council on 18 and 19 June. At this summit, the leaders are also expected to discuss support for Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East and its consequences for Europe, and the progress made in terms of European defence and security.
The European Council is also expected to review current efforts to advance the EU’s competitiveness and strategic autonomy. The ‘European Semester’, as well as progress on migration and the challenges of drug use and trafficking, will also be on the agenda for leaders. Ministers will also hold country-specific discussions as part of the annual dialogue on the rule of law, this time on France, Croatia, Italy and Latvia.
At an informal lunch, the Council will discuss EU-UK relations and will be briefed on the implementation of existing agreements and developments relating to the renewed agenda.
Finally, the Council will be invited to adopt a directive on the right to vote and stand in municipal elections for EU citizens residing in a Member State of which they are not nationals. The Commission will also briefly present its strategy on intergenerational equity.
See the note from the Cyprus Presidency: https://aeur.eu/f/m0h
See the letter from French MEPs: https://aeur.eu/f/m0p (Camille-Cerise Gessant and Clément Solal)