About: EU budget

A ”facelift” to the EIB: the EU financial arm needs forward-looking reforms

The European Investment Bank (EIB) celebrates this year its 60th anniversary. But the 1958-founded EU body and bank should now look forward and commit to becoming a more sustainable, accountable and transparent institution, writes Xavier Sol.

The European budget talks: Financial threat to a global Europe

Although talks on the EU's next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) might appear dull on the surface, we should force ourselves to take notice of them and emphasise the long-term importance of the external tranche of the budget, writes Susi Dennison.

EU leaders – Making Europe the world leader on global health must be your legacy

The next EU budget must establish the bloc as the world leader in financing the health research that will end poverty-related diseases, writes Cecile Vernant.

To help fix EU budget, end aviation’s tax break

The European Commission’s move to make it administratively easier to calculate and charge VAT on passenger transport is welcome and long overdue, writes Bill Hemmings. But instead of abolishing VAT breaks for airline tickets, the EU plan will make a weekend trip treated the same as “necessities” such as foodstuffs, or pharmaceutical products, he warns.

Countering terror doesn’t need to cost the Earth

While the risks of terrorism should not be downplayed, the extensive nature of climate change risks should not be downplayed either. Often times, the impacts are less visible but more significant, argues Janani Vivekananda.  

EU 2018: A big year to be big on big things

With European Parliament elections, a new European Commission and Brexit scheduled, attention of some EU observers is already beginning to drift to 2019. However, focus should not shift too fast as the twelve months ahead promise major EU developments, which could mark 2018 down in the annals of EU history, insists Tom Parker.

EU and Africa have a unique chance to rationalise their cooperation

While 2018 is undoubtedly an important year for the European Union in terms of its own future, it is also a year for resetting its relations with developing countries and in particular with its continental neighbour on the other side of the Mediterranean, the African Union, writes James Mackie.

‘Last chance’: Juncker has only 2018 to deliver the goods

This is the year when Jean-Claude Juncker's ‘Last Chance’ Commission must chalk up worthwhile achievements and shake off the sense of inertia that already risks turning into full retreat, argue Giles Merritt and Shada Islam.

EU politicians should lead EU budget talks, not technocrats

Europe’s political leadership should be the one to take the lead in consultations and the responsibility to speed up individual political decisions on which technocrats will be called upon to adapt financial tools for their achievement, Stavros Kalafatis writes.

Commission must involve the people in next EU budget debate

French President Emmanuel Macron is right to propose public debates on the Future of Europe. But the EU budget is where change will first manifest itself, writes David Holyoake.

EU budget for climate action: Time to wake the sleeping beauty

The European Commission will publish its ‘Reflection paper on the future of EU finances’ on 28 June. Against a background of renewed commitments from European leaders towards climate action, the EU budget must be reformed to comply with the requirements of the Paris Agreement, writes Markus Trilling.

The EU budget: Unlocking a new vision for Europe

The key to unlocking a more inspiring and politically winnable New Vision for a strong Europe may well be the next European budget, writes David Holyoake.

Giving some teeth to Europe’s budgetary watchdogs

EU institutions were roundly criticised over their handling of the recent economic crisis, so the European Commission’s decision to stop dithering and appoint a panel of experts to scrutinise budgetary performance is both timely and welcome, writes Michal Horvath.

A budget that connects citizens with the EU

Increasing the bloc’s revenue with own resources and strengthening the link between policy goals and spending would make the EU more dynamic and more relevant to its citizens, writes Petros Fassoulas.

The current system of EU budgeting is doomed to fail

If a household spends its budget in the same way as the EU spends its money, family members would first cheat, and then revolt, writes Ivailo Kalfin.

The 2017 EU budget: How to tackle current crisis without endangering economic growth

The European budget is vital for research, SMEs, job creation and tackling the EU’s external challenges. The European Parliament must fight to ensure this budget is up to the task, writes Siegfried Muresan.

2014 Commission Discharge: It’s over, we succeeded

The Commission discharge, the exercise by which the European Parliament releases" the Commission from its responsibility for managing a given budget, can be innovative and contain policy recommendations, writes Martina Dlabajová.

The answer to Europe’s refugee crisis lies abroad

European nations will only be able to tackle the refugee crisis by working together and addressing the roots of the problem, writes Nicholas Rutherford.

EU budget: When contradictions cost lives

As the European Parliament is voting today on the draft EU’s budget for 2016 in Strasbourg, member states are pushing for cuts to programmes to fight extreme poverty, writes Tamira Gunzburg.

We urgently need a European Public Prosecutor’s Office

Every year, several hundreds of millions of euros from the EU budget are at risk due to fraud, corruption and other criminal offences. These crimes undermine the rule of law, write Georgieva, Jourová, and Macovei.

Cameron’s ‘EU budget’ mess

Ever since it emerged that the the UK’s contribution to the EU has to increase, the issue has assumed a life of its own. Britain's political tectonic plates are on the move, writes Graham Bishop.

EU budget: 80% of MEPs rebuff eurosceptic arguments

The European Parliament vote on the EU budget supports the reorientation of Europe proposed by François Hollande, writes French MEP Catherine Trautmann.

Rising poverty and unemployment: Discarded priorities of the EU budget

After more than two years of campaigning for a social pillar in the EU budget, the proposals made last week are extremely disappointing and worrying, writes Pierre Baussand.

Proposal to finance European investment, growth and jobs

A key missing ingredient in solving the euro crisis is the urgent restoration of growth, which European citizens demand and several leaders are increasingly stressing. Yet, meaningful actions on a sufficient scale have not yet been taken, argue Stephany Griffith-Jones, Matthias Kollatz-Ahnen and Lars Andersen in a recent study.