The European Parliament’s Budgets Committee is pushing a 10% increase to the EU’s long-term budget for 2028-2034, with repayments of Next Generation EU debt kept outside budget ceilings.

Parliament proposes changes to the long-term budget for 2028-2034, arguing the Commission’s initial plan is insufficient to cover defense, competitiveness, cohesion, and CAP needs.

There should be distinct, adequately funded allocations for major policies—CAP, Cohesion, European Social Fund, Home Affairs, and outermost regions—with strong involvement from regional and local authorities.

Transparency and accountability concerns are raised about shifting policy choices to Commission work programmes and about non-cost-linked financing, urging maintainable oversight and adherence to the rule of law for access to funds.

This is part of negotiations on the multiannual financial framework, aiming to strengthen defense, competitiveness, and cohesion policies.

Competitiveness, Horizon Europe, and Global Europe funds would expand to bolster Europe’s global position, innovation and research, external action, security, and humanitarian aid.

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Funding should be evenly distributed across the three main headings, protected from inflation, and shielded from re-nationalisation or an ‘à la carte’ spending approach.

The Parliament rejects the Commission’s ‘one plan per member state’ approach, warning it could undermine policies, transparency, and beneficiary competition.

Parliament cautions against a fundamental restructuring of the budget’s architecture, warning of risks from increased flexibility and potential transparency issues in monitoring.

MEPs argue higher funding is needed to sustain CAP and cohesion envelopes, bolster competitiveness, and invest in European security and defense.

They call for stronger external action funding (enlargement, development, Ukraine support, multilateral cooperation, humanitarian aid) and propose dedicated resources for EU4Health and civil protection.