EU budget is not a cash machine for Member States

In advance of the Commission’s presentation of the next long-term EU budget roadmap in July, the EPP Group today adopted its position, setting out its key demands and non-negotiable red lines.

"The EU's long-term budget is not a cash machine for Member States. Our position is clear: we want a budget that is more flexible and better aligned with the Union’s new priorities of competitiveness and defence. We also reject national plans that lack a European perspective or fail to include an ambitious role for local and regional authorities. We do not support overarching reforms that are not directly connected to the targeted investment areas. It would be unfair, for example, if farmers lost funding simply because their government failed to implement a technical reform," said Siegfried Mureșan MEP, the European Parliament’s co-negotiator of the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and Vice-Chair of the EPP Group.

“We need to ensure that the two pillars of cohesion and agriculture are well-funded and adapted to the current needs of our regions, our farmers, and our enterprises. Food security and competitiveness are important to make Europe safer and more competitive,” explained Mureșan.

The EPP Group is calling for a budget that matches the scale of the challenges ahead – higher than the 2021–2027 budget period and exceeding the current self-imposed limit of 1% of the EU’s Gross National Income (GNI). “New priorities require new own resources to cover both debt repayments and the Union’s increasing spending needs. We cannot do more with less. The EU budget has a key role in making Europe safer. We need a more ambitious allocation for security and defence. Therefore, a moderate, limited increase of the budget is unavoidable”, Mureșan stressed.

More than just resources, the EPP Group is demanding responsibility. This includes a firm commitment to financial accountability, transparency, and respect for European values.

“We also call for a limited and restrictive approach to joint borrowing. Such borrowing should only be considered an exceptional measure, not a regular tool for raising EU funds. Until the repayment of NextGenerationEU from own resources is clarified, the Union has no fiscal space for additional joint borrowing,” concluded Mureșan.

The full text of the EPP Group's position paper on the next long-term EU budget is available here.