The European Commission announced on Wednesday that it has completed its proposal for the next long-term (2028-2034) EU budget by adopting a number of sectoral programmes while leaving questions about taking on board specific actions proposed by a European Citizens’ Panel unanswered.
As previously reported, the European Commission presented last July before the Summer break its proposal for next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), the long-term EU budget for 2028 - 2034, amounting to almost €2 trillion or 1.26% of the EU's gross national income, compared to 1,13 % in the previous period.
Well ahead of the presentation of the new MFF, the Commission had launched a round of citizens’ panels with calls on European citizens to submit their proposals on-line at the dedicated citizen engagement platform linked to the panels. Citizens' panels became a regular feature of participative democracy in the EU following the Conference on the Future of Europe.
The final report from the Conference stated that the pledge given to European citizens at the start of the conference in 2021 was simple: to allow, by way of a citizens-focused, bottom-up exercise, all Europeans to have a say on what they expect from the EU and have a greater role in shaping the future of the Union.
As during the Conference, the panels continue to bring together randomly-selected citizens from all 27 member states to discuss upcoming proposals that affect all citizens. The around 150 citizens are selected to represent the EU’s diversity - geography (urban/rural), gender, age, education, and socioeconomic background.
The panels meet in three sessions. The first one is to generate ideas. The second one is to review the ideas and draft initial citizen recommendations. The third session, which closes the round, submits the conclusions of debates, together with the panel's recommendations, to the European Commission, as part of the package accompanying the relevant proposals.
The topic selected for this year’s panel was ‘A new European budget fit for our ambitions’. The sessions took place in Brussels during March - May 2025. The on-line debate on the platform was available in all 24 official EU languages with automatic translation and generated over 100 proposals.
In a report after the end of the third round, the Commission described in detail the deliberations by the Citizens’ Panel and listed the 23 most voted recommendations that that had been discussed, assessed and rated by the participants. The goals, justification and possible connected actions of each recommendation are described.
At this stage, the Commission had not yet decided what recommendations to bring forward to the new MFF. That was done in a communication to the European Parliament and the Council in the form of a staff working document which accompanied the MFF package on 16 July. According to the document, the randomly selected citizens were tasked to answer the following questions:
“What priorities and actions funded by the EU bring the most added value to our common future?”
There were two main dimensions to this question: What priorities should the EU budget support? Which types of activities should the EU budget support to help deliver on those priorities?
Citizens call for an EU that is fair and inclusive, sovereign and secure, sustainable and prosperous and deeply connected to its people and an EU budget that helps prepare for the future priorities of the EU and that can be equipped to address unforeseen challenges that may arise.
The Commission writes that “many of the citizens’ recommendations have fed into the European Commission’s proposal for the next long-term EU budget” and this is true on a general level, in particular as regards the first recommendation. This Guiding Recommendation, calling for a “strong future-ready EU Budget, is embedded in the overall ambition and rationale of the new MFF".
However, while the whole list of the 23 recommendations has been included in an annex to the staff document, the third part of them – possible connected actions – was not included. The Commission also added the caveat that the views presented in the report are not the views of the European Commission but of the citizens who participated in the panel and cannot be regarded as the official position of the Commission or its services.
According to the Commission, many of the recommendations have been translated into concrete proposals for actions in the next MFF but, asked by The Brussels Times, did not give any examples of that. It remains to be seen if those recommendations that were not taken on board this time will “continue to inspire future initiatives and legislative proposals”.
Extract from Communication/Commission Staff Working Document
Many of the citizens’ recommendations have fed into the European Commission’s proposal for the next long-term EU budget, published on 16 July 2025.
The Commission’s proposal is designed not only to meet Europe’s current challenges, from new geopolitical challenges, security, competitiveness to the green and digital transitions, but also to equip the Union with the strategic capacity and resilience to act in the face of future crises and to build an independent Europe. The proposal’s streamlined and modernised structure will allow for faster deployment of funds and easier reallocation across budgetary instruments when needed, especially in times of crisis, which also addresses the Panel’s specific request for a more responsive and flexible EU budget.
To help reduce regional disparities and ensure fair opportunities across all Member States, the new National and Regional Partnership Plans will provide tailored-made support to Member States and regions according to their regional level of development. These plans will provide for needed investments and reforms and promote vibrant rural communities, including in agriculture, fisheries, aquaculture and blue economy while continuing the EU’s long-standing commitment to cohesion, social, agricultural and fisheries policies. They will be developed and implemented in partnership with national and regional authorities, in full respect of subsidiarity.
On the economic and innovation front, the proposal responds to citizens’ emphasis on competitiveness, technology and sustainability. The new European Competitiveness Fund will answer to the challenges outlined by the Draghi and Letta report and bring support to scale-up and strategic investment in areas such as clean tech, biotech, semiconductors, defence and space, ensuring Europe can lead in a rapidly evolving world.
The Fund will also work hand-in-hand with Horizon Europe, supporting a full innovation pipeline from research to market. In addition, the Single Market Programme and the Connecting Europe Facility will strengthen critical infrastructure, including sustainable transport, energy security, and dual-use mobility.
Citizens also called for stronger EU action on migration and inclusion. In response, targeted support for integration policies, including language learning, housing, education and social cohesion will be embedded in the new National and Regional Partnership Plans.
Education and skills were high on the Panel’s agenda. The next MFF will place a renewed emphasis on the Erasmus+ programme, reskilling and upskilling in strategic sectors via the Competitiveness Fund which will be central to building a Union of Skills, tackling long-term skills gaps, boosting inclusion, and supporting lifelong learning, mobility, and capacity-building across the EU.
For external policy, the revamped Global Europe Fund will strengthen the EU’s role as a global actor. It will align EU external action with strategic interests and values, reinforcing partnerships, supporting democracy and development, and addressing shared global challenges.
The MFF proposal also reflects citizens’ priorities on environment and sustainability. The National and Regional Partnership Plans will include climate action, biodiversity protection, water resilience and sustainable land use as core objectives. The Competitiveness Fund will also support related research and innovation, and will support the deployment of most promising projects, such as cross-border clean energy projects and circular economy investments.
Issues of defence, cybersecurity and digital sovereignty also feature strongly in the proposal, with reinforced investment in joint capabilities, secure infrastructure, and advanced technologies. Key elements will be delivered through the Competitiveness Fund, the Connecting Europe Facility, and specific strands of the National and Regional Partnership Plans.
Update: The article has been updated to include an extract from the Staff Working Document on the Citizens' Panel recommendations that have fed into the new MFF.
