MEPs on the European Parliament’s Budgets Committee have backed a call for the EU’s next seven-year budget to rise by about 10% compared with the European Commission’s plan.
The committee endorsed its draft negotiating position on the 2028–2034 multiannual financial framework (MFF) — the EU’s long-term spending plan — in a vote of 26 in favour, nine against and five abstentions, the parliamentary press service reported on Wednesday night.
The committee said the overall budget should be set at 1.27% of EU gross national income (GNI), and that the costs of servicing debt linked to the EU’s post-pandemic recovery fund, NextGenerationEU, should sit outside the budget ceilings.
It also opposed what it described as “re-nationalisation” of EU spending, objecting to an approach based on “one plan per member state.”
Defence and competitiveness added, agriculture and cohesion to be protected
MEPs said defence and competitiveness should be treated as new priorities, while funding should be safeguarded for cohesion policy — aimed at reducing regional disparities — and for agriculture.
The committee called for distinct allocations for policies including the Common Agricultural Policy and Cohesion Policy, and said regional and local authorities should be fully involved in planning and delivery.
MEPs backed the Commission’s proposal to double funding intended to strengthen competitiveness, defence capacity, innovation, and the digital and green transitions, and also listed programmes they want to see supported, including Horizon Europe (research), Erasmus+ (student exchanges) and the Connecting Europe Facility (infrastructure).
On EU income, the committee reiterated support for new “own resources” — EU-level revenues — and said new sources should generate around €60 billion annually to help repay NextGenerationEU debt and fund the budget.
Siegfried Mureşan, a co-rapporteur on the file, said MEPs were proposing a “moderate 10% increase” while arguing that debt repayment should not come “at the expense of farmers, SMEs, researchers or Erasmus students.”
A plenary vote to confirm the position is planned for 29 April, after which Parliament would be ready to start negotiations with member states once the Council has agreed a common stance.
