The next MFF: an adequate answer to EUrope’s challenges?
YouTube, 24.11.2025
Online Briefing
The European Commission’s proposals for the 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) mark the start of a new cycle of negotiations over the EU’s long-term budget. Set against the backdrop of geopolitical and geoeconomic instability, green and digital transitions, and increasing fiscal strain, the next MFF will shape the Union’s ability to act over the coming decade.
As negotiations intensify, this online EPC Update assessed the current state of play – both at the headline level and in key spending areas – and explored the implications for the Union’s future. Will the next MFF allocate sufficient resources to meet Europe’s competitiveness, security and climate challenges? Do the Commission’s proposals – and the emerging discussions among member states – focus on the right priorities and look far enough ahead? Can the multiannual budget lay the foundation for an EU of 30+ member states? Is there scope for alternative financing mechanisms beyond the MFF framework? And, finally, what do these debates reveal about the current and future state of the Union?
Speakers: Janis A. Emmanouilidis, Deputy Chief Executive & Director of Studies, European Policy Centre; Fabian Zuleeg, Chief Executive & Chief Economist, European Policy Centre
Moderator: Jacki Davis, Senior Adviser, European Policy Centre
Link to video on YouTube here
Latest media contributions
La faiblesse du chancelier allemand Friedrich Merz "n'est pas une bonne nouvelle pour l'Europe"
Quotes, La Libre Belgique, 26.09.2026
Ναρκοθετημένη καγκελαρία
Quotes, Kathimerini, 20.09.2026
EU-Kanada: Engere Partnerschaft ja, Mitgliedschaft nein
Quotes, Deutschlandfunk (DLF), 17.09.2026
Von der Leyen: Kanada soll "assoziiertes EU-Mitglied" werden
Quotes, Deutsche Welle (DW), 16.09.2026
EPC Update – State of the Union 2026: From ambition to action?
Online Briefing, YouTube, 16.09.2026
EPC Update / Post-summit Briefing: What does the Ankara NATO Summit mean for Europe’s security?
Online Briefing, YouTube, 09.07.2026
EPC Update / Post-summit Briefing: Will the June EU Summit provide strategic direction?
Online Briefing, YouTube, 22.06.2026
EU Democracy Reform Observatory: Two years on: Why Europe’s far right keeps growing
Online Briefing, YouTube, 11.06.2026
EPC Update: Can Europe lead when leadership is in short supply?
Online Briefing, YouTube, 29.05.2026
What are the sticking points for the EU's new budget?
Quotes, Deutsche Welle, 29.04.2026