The EU’s next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) is negotiated under intense pressure: rising investment needs in security, competitiveness and the dual transition collide with tight fiscal constraints and growing disagreement over the Union’s priorities. Negotiations will reveal whether the EU can agree on a budget that aligns with its ambitions for a free, secure and competitive Europe. They are a big opportunity: never before has the Commission tabled a proposal making as far-reaching changes to the MFF’s architecture and approach to governance – one that could fundamentally reshape how the EU sets priorities and responds to emerging challenges.
In our guide to the MFF, we walk readers through the essentials of the MFF, explain the mechanics of the negotiations ahead, and identify five key battles that will shape the outcome: the debate on budget size, competing policy priorities, changes to structure and governance, the role of rule-of-law and human rights conditionality, and the future of EU revenues.
As negotiations move forward and numbers are put on the table, budget talks will become more concrete – and more technical. Our guide is for anyone seeking to understand the rules, fault lines and stakes of the negotiations, and to join the debate.
