Dear Readers,
How would you fund more European defence and innovation without increasing national contributions? Would you cut agricultural support, regional funding—or something else? These are the uncomfortable choices behind ongoing negotiations over the EU’s next long-term budget.
Our new EU Budget Navigator, developed by our budget expert Anna Heckhausen, lets you work through these tough choices yourself. Compare competing proposals, see how funding priorities could shift, and use the Scenario Calculator to build your own 2028–2034 budget. More spending in one area means finding additional resources or making cuts elsewhere. The tool turns an often impenetrable debate into concrete decisions, making it easier to judge whether political promises add up. Try it and see where your own priorities lead you.
Elsewhere in this edition, Andreas Pinkwart argues in a Handelsblatt op-ed for deeper integration to unlock Europe’s growth potential. On the CER’s Unpacking Europe podcast, Claudia-Dominique Geiser discusses how to finance and scale innovative companies. Brandon Bohrn explores in Focus how closer EU–Canada ties could strengthen Europe’s geopolitical position.
Finally, our public opinion platform eupinions has a refreshed website and new trend data from its August survey wave—another opportunity to look beyond the headlines and explore what Europeans think.
Best wishes,
Malte Zabel
Director, Europe’s Future Programme
