EU budget 2028-2034: European Parliament defines its negotiating position

The European Parliament has adopted its position on the EU multiannual financial framework for 2028-2034, ahead of future negotiations with the Council on the Union’s next long-term budget. MEPs call for the budget to be set at 1.27% of EU GNI, excluding the repayment of NextGenerationEU debt, which they argue should be managed separately in order to avoid affecting EU programmes and investments. Parliament’s position seeks to reinforce the Union’s new strategic priorities, notably defence, competitiveness, innovation and the green and digital transitions, while safeguarding traditional policies such as cohesion, agriculture and support for SMEs. MEPs also call for increased funding for key programmes including Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, the Connecting Europe Facility and the European Competitiveness Fund, while stressing the importance of transparency, democratic scrutiny and the introduction of new own resources to finance the EU budget. Interinstitutional negotiations may begin once the Council has agreed on its common position.