Tag: Multi-Annual Financial Framework (MFF)

EU heads of state and government will try to reach a final agreement with the European Parliament on the bloc's long-term budget at their summit that starts tomorrow (27 June), after several failed attempts for a compromise, EurActiv has learned.

After 26 hours of negotiations, European heads of state and governments decided on a smaller EU budget for the period 2014-2020. Here are the numbers, compiled by EurActiv France.

After 24 hours of talks, EU leaders have struck today (8 February) a deal on the 7-year budget clamoring success, but have set themselves on a collision course with Parliament, which prepares to fight off the decision to cut spending that reflects austerity undertaken by many EU countries.

If the EU leaders' agreement on the long-term EU budget does not respect the red lines spelled out by MEPs, namely flexibility, a mid-term review clause and more money for growth and investment, the European Parliament might decide to reject the proposal and revert to annual budgets, says Hannes Swoboda, leader of the Socialists and Democrats group.

Budget hawks appeared to gain the upper hand in the latest budget draft presented by European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, cutting back still further a version of the 2014-2020 budget presented two months ago. 

Paris eyes an extension of €1 billion for 10 French regions that it says are collateral victims of cuts to the EU budget for 2014-2020. EurActiv France reports.

On the eve of an EU summit that could see further political isolation for the United Kingdom, officials made clear that Prime Minister David Cameron would not hesitate to use his veto to freeze the EU's 2014-2020 budget and to preserve the UK rebate.

British Prime Minister David Cameron met a cool response from Italy's Mario Monti yesterday (13 November) as he sought support for a drive to constrain the European Union budget.

A looming British veto on the EU budget for 2014-2020 could heavily undermine the Union’s efforts to emerge from the eurozone sovereign debt crisis, Brussels analysts warned yesterday (22 October).

Keti Medarova-Bergstrom and Pawel Swidlicki put their heads together to identify why and where EU budgetary spending has got it wrong in the past and propose how roughly €1 trillion can better serve Europe's environment, economy and people in the next funding period.

The eurozone should have its own budget, which would be separate from the long-term budget of the wider European Union, according to draft conclusions of an EU summit to take place next week (18-19 October).

If the scheduled extraordinary European Council in November does not agree on a framework for the 2014-2020 budget or if the European Parliament denies its approval, the future of the EU will be held hostage to an unstable and unmanageable environment, argues Ivailo Kalfin.

France has taken the lead in demanding new "own resources" for the European Union's upcoming long-term budget for 2014-2020, placing Paris firmly on a collision course with Berlin, which wants to retain national contributions as the biggest share.

The European Parliament's regional committee is holding a vote today (11 July) on legislation that some MEPs say will bring cohesion funds into “a new era” and jump-start negotiations with member states over the EU's next budget for 2014-2020.

The financial and economic ills afflicting Europe would be treated more effectively if those who govern the Union - in fact, national leaders gathered at EU summits - were not themselves suffering from amnesia, writes Alain Lamassoure.

Compared to other policy areas, environment still remains the Cinderella of the European budget, where allocations amount to just over €2 billion compared to research which gets more than €50 billion for the FP7. Negotiations on the next EU budget 2014-2020 will be crucial, said Commissioner Janez Potočnik in an interview with EurActiv Slovakia. 

Negotiations over the Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2014-2020 are likely to spread until at least October next year, paving the way for the full-time president of the European Council to preside the talks and for Herman Van Rompuy to be reconfirmed in his role at the end of his first mandate, next May.

SMEs jostling for gains in the research budget and changes to the structural funds in the Commission's Multi-Annual Financial Framework (MFF) remain unclear which sectors will scoop the rewards in the complicated EU funding 'jungle'.