In mid-2025, the Commission presented its proposal for the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2028–2034, the EU’s long-term budget plan. As part of an interim report on the MFF, the European Parliament set out its position on 28 April 2026 and called for a more ambitious budget. The report was adopted by 370 votes to 201, with 84 abstentions.

European Commission proposal for the MFF 2028–2034

The EU Commission’s proposed budget for the upcoming MFF 2028-2034 amounts to €2 trillion (current prices), or 1.26 % of the EU’s gross national income (GNI). Included in this is €149.3 billion to repay the debt arising from the Recovery Plan for Europe (the Recovery and Resilience Facility, RRF) following the COVID crisis.

A key component of the new MFF is the National and Regional Partnership Plans (NRPPs), which are to be agreed between the European Commission and the Member States. There are no plans for direct parliamentary involvement in this matter. The NRPPs are intended to bring together key areas of the EU budget, such as regional and cohesion policy - and thus also the European Social Fund Plus (EFS+)  – and the Common Agricultural Policy. As part of this restructuring, cuts are planned in traditional policy areas, whilst spending on defence, security and competitiveness is to be increased at the same time. Another key section concerns the promotion of competitiveness and security, which also includes the newly proposed European Competitiveness Fund (ECF). Furthermore, the proposal provides for new resources of funding, namely the EU’s own resources, which are expected to generate an additional €44 billion annually.

Criticism from the European Parliament

At the European Parliament’s plenary session on 28 April 2026, the MFF was discussed and the Commission’s proposal was criticised for lacking ambition. The European Parliament proposes increasing the MFF’s budget by around 10 % and placing the repayment of the RRF outside the MFF. It welcomes the funding of security, defence and competitiveness through the new ECF. At the same time, it criticises the planned consolidation and cuts in traditional policy areas, partly because this could jeopardise the transparency of funding flows. The NRPPs would weaken the EU level, as responsibilities previously held by the EU in relation to the allocation of funds would in future be transferred to the national level. The negotiation process among the beneficiaries would therefore shift from Brussels to the Member States. Furthermore, the European Parliament is firmly opposed to decisions on the allocation of funds being taken without its involvement. This would undermine democratic control. It calls for robust and adequate funding with clear allocations for policy areas such as the Common Agricultural Policy, cohesion policy and, in particular, the ESF+.

Moreover, it calls for an increase in funding for key EU programmes and the Civil Protection Mechanism, as well as a greater financial focus on external action, including for EU enlargement. Finally, the European Parliament emphasises that the allocation of EU funds must align with EU values. The European Parliament also supports the introduction of new own resources. Additional sources of revenue are to be tapped for the next long-term budget, including a levy on digital services and online gambling, the expansion of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), and levies on capital gains from cryptocurrencies. According to estimates following the European Parliament's assessment, these measures could generate additional revenue of around €60 billion.

The EU budget from the perspective of workers

The ETUC welcomes Parliament’s position and calls on national governments to support it. Investment tools such as the ESF+ must be retained. Furthermore, the ETUC stresses that EU funds must be subject to social conditionalities to ensure that workers’ rights and collective agreements are not undermined. Esther Lynch, General Secretary of the ETUC, states: “Only through investment can Europe give working people the lift they need. National governments must now step up and back a budget that delivers the quality jobs and strong public services. [...] At a time of rising inequalities and economic uncertainty, cutting or weakening social investment would be a serious mistake that risks undermining trust in the European project.”

AK is also critical of the planned cuts and is calling instead for a significant increase in the EU budget to fund social policy measures. Any increase in spending on armaments and defence must not be at the expense of social and environmental objectives. It is particularly important at present to close the investment gaps in the sectors of energy, rail and digitalisation, and more broadly in the socio-ecological transition and public services. Moreover, AK welcomes both an increase in the overall EU budget and the introduction of new own resources.

Further information

EU Commission EU budget 2028–2034 explained
AK EUROPA: The future of Cohesion Policy: Will the next EU-Budget mean less Funding for Social matters?
AK EUROPA: New own resources. How should the future EU budget be financed?
AK EUROPA: Mid-term review of the EU Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027 
A&W Blog: Paradigmenwechsel beim EU-Budget auf Kosten der Sozial- und Beschäftigungspolitik? (Paradigm shift in the EU budget at the expense of social and employment policy?) (German only)
EU Parliament: EU long-term budget: responding to citizens’ expectations and major challenges
THE ETUC: EU budget. National governments must follow Parliament’s lead by backing social spending