The European Commission presented its proposals for the EU’s next long-term budget, or multiannual financial framework (MFF) on 16 July 2025. Covering the years 2028-2034, it is structured around three headings that group together shared policies and priorities. A fourth heading covers expenditure for European public administration.

To support the EU’s 2028-2034 agenda whilst also meeting repayment obligations under Next Generation EU, the Commission outlined the following:

•  a ceiling for commitments of €1 763.1 billion in constant 2025 prices, equal to 1.26 % of the EU’s gross national income (GNI).
• a corresponding payment ceiling of €1 761 billion in constant 2025 prices; equal to 1.26 % of EU GNI.

Parliament is working on an interim report on the proposals, which it expects to adopt in May 2026. However, its current stance is critical of this proposed MFF; specifically in relation to its National and Regional Partnership Plans (NRPPs). The draft interim report on the proposal for a new MFF Regulation (rapporteurs: Siegfried Mureşan (EPP, Romania) and Carla Tavares (S&D, Portugal)), was presented and discussed for the first time in the Committee on Budgets (BUDG) on 11 December 2025. The draft report supports a total EU budget of 1.27 % of EU GNI, or €1.8 trillion (2025 prices), excluding the repayment of NGEU (proposed at €149.3 billion). With this the overall level would reach €1.9 trillion. The co-rapporteurs insist on the reinforcement of parliamentary accountability and oppose the merging of the different policies into one plan under Heading 1.

On 30 October 2025, four political groups wrote to the Commission expressing their disagreement with the proposed NRPPs. In the letter, the leaders of the EPP, S&D, Renew Europe, and Greens/EFA demanded an amended version of the budget ahead of any further negotiations. Throughout previous discussions, Members have condemned the NRPPs as a 'renationalisation' of a major part (44 %) of the EU budget, including the common agricultural policy (CAP) and cohesion policy. Members are concerned about the limited role of the European Parliament and regional authorities in the adoption, modification, and allocation of funding for these national plans.

Following that letter, on 9 November 2025, the Commission suggested some possible changes to the NRPPs, including the introduction of a 10 % spending target for agriculture, and a strengthened role for regional authorities. However, these revisions do not address all of Parliament’s concerns.

Before the Commission had adopted its proposal, Parliament made its priorities for the next MFF clear. On 7 May 2025, Parliament adopted an own-initiative resolution on the post-2027 MFF drafted by its BUDG committee. The BUDG report was entitled, 'A revamped long-term budget for the Union in a changing world'. One of the main arguments of the report is that the current spending cap of 1 % of the EU’s GNI is not enough to address the growing number of crises and challenges. Members also opposed the Commission’s idea of replicating the 'one national plan per Member State' model used in the post-COVID-19 Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). Instead, they called for a structure that ensures transparency, allows for parliamentary scrutiny, and involves regional and local authorities alongside all other relevant actors.  

Moreover, the resolution also emphasises that the repayment of Next Generation EU debt must not endanger funding for key EU priorities. It urges the Council to adopt new, reliable revenue resources. BUDG considers joint borrowing as a viable option for tackling major EU-wide crises, such as security and defence.

The calls in the May resolution were reiterated after the Commission unveiled its MFF proposal in July 2025. The rapporteurs condemned the proposal as 'not European, not transparent, and not sufficient'. They stressed that it does not meet the requirements for Parliament’s budgetary scrutiny and oversight. 

In December 2025, the MFF co-rapporteurs issued their draft interim report: the Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament provide for the possibility to issue an interim report in the context of consent procedures.  The draft report contains the following points:
•    a 10 % increase in size compared to the Commission proposal, thus a budget of €1.8 trillion in 2025 prices, which corresponds at 1.27 % of EU GNI, excluding the repayment of NGEU, proposed at €149.3 billion or 0.11 % EU GNI. With this, the overall level for the period from 2028 to 2034 would reach €1.93 trillion or1.38 % of the EU's GNI;
•    focus on financing European public goods with discernible added value compared to national spending;
•    opposition to the proposed nomenclature as not sufficiently detailed, impeding transparency and accountability, undermining Parliament's role as the budgetary and discharge authority; 
•    Heading 1: regrets the reduction in funding and opposes the merging of the different policies into one plan per Member State, diminishing predictability in funding and putting EU policy coherence at risk;
•    Heading 2: agrees to the increased budget for investment but stresses that the integration of numerous programmes into the Competitiveness Fund reduces transparency and restricts Parliament's power to allocate funds for specific policy objectives;
•    Heading 3: supports the increase in external action funding but considers it insufficient and warns against weakened parliamentary oversight; asks for more transparency in the budget allocation;
•    recalls that the Council must take due account of Parliament's position to secure Parliament's consent; asks for meaningful negotiations and for Parliament to be involved in all the stages of the MFF process, as required by Article 312(5) TFEU.

References: 

• European Commission, Commission Communication on A dynamic EU budget for the priorities of the future – The Multiannual Financial Framework 2028-2034, COM(2025)570
• European Commission, Proposal for a Council Regulation laying down the multiannual financial framework for the years 2028 to 2034, COM(2025)571
• European Parliament, Multiannual financial framework for the years 2028 to 2034, 2025/0571(APP)
• European Commission, Commission work programme 2025, COM(2025)45
• European Commission, The road to the next multiannual financial framework, COM/2025/46 final
• European Parliament, A revamped long-term budget for the Union in a changing world, 2024/2051(INI)
• European Parliament, Voting List including compromise amendments, On a revamped long-term budget for the Union in a changing world, 2024/2051(INI)
• European Parliament, Budgets Committee sets out priorities for next long-term EU budget, 23 April 2025, press release
• European Parliament, Interim report on the proposal for the multiannual financial framework for 2028-2034, 2025/0571R(APP)

Further reading:

• Karoline Kowald, Sidonia Mazur, Marianna Pari, Tim Peters, Budgetary Outlook 2025, EPRS, European Parliament, April 2025
• Karoline Kowald, Marianna Pari, Future of EU long-term financing: Post-2027 needs and how to finance them, EPRS, European Parliament, February 2025

Author: Karoline Kowald, Members' Research Service: legislative-train@europarl.europa.eu