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
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