EU budget 2024: no serious negotiation can start without a revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework

Renew Europe has repeatedly warned of the threats hanging over the EU budget, and the European Parliament has voted several resolutions to this effect in recent months. Thus we are quite disappointed by the lack of ambition of the 2024 draft budget presented today by the European Commission. Despite the war in Ukraine and its lasting economic consequences, despite the increased needs for the ecological and digital transitions, the size of this budget is smaller compared to 2023 in relation to the GNI of the EU. This proposal is only the accounting translation of an insufficiently equipped Multiannual Financial Framework developed at a time when none of the crises that the EU has been going through for the past 4 years were foreseen. Instead of financing strategic sectors, increasing the support for programmes linked to youth, innovation, climate, migration, or keeping some flexibility to face upcoming crises, the remaining margin and flexibility that was left is almost all used to finance the increasing European Union Recovery Instrument borrowing costs. We firmly warn the European Commission that the next review of the MFF cannot be a simple accounting exercise. The budget debate for 2024 must be conditional to this revision.

Fabienne KELLER (Renaissance, France), shadow rapporteur for Renew Europe for the 2024 budget in the Parliamentary Committee on Budgets (BUDG), said:

“This proposal does not give the EU Budget the flexibility it requires to face challenges ahead. We need an ambitious revision of the MFF to give the EU Budget the means to fulfil its objectives.”

Valérie HAYER (Renaissance, France), Renew Europe coordinator for the BUDG, added :

“This budget is ending the 2021-2027 MFF. The Commission did the maximum it could, given the low ambition and means the Member States were willing to provide to the Union. Either we deeply revise the current MFF, or we should stop making non-financeable promises."