About: Multi-Annual Financial Framework (MFF)
Merkel and von der Leyen: Two long-time companions guiding Europe
They have ruled Germany together for 15 years. Now they are at Europe's helm. With the start of the German EU Presidency, Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have, together, forged plans to navigate Europe out of crisis, EURACTIV Germany reports.
Von der Leyen calls mini-summit to push for a deal on recovery plan
European Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen called on Thursday (2 July) a mini-summit for next week with her counterparts at the Council, Parliament and German Chancellor Angela Merkel to work towards a deal on the EU recovery package.
No consent to ‘historic’ recovery plan without new revenues, MEPs warn
The European Parliament will only give its consent to a new EU long-term budget if the basket of own resources is increased to pay for the recovery fund, the main political groups warned in a letter addressed to EU leaders ahead of Friday's (19 June) summit.
Morawiecki: United we can do more
The current crisis can be a great turning point in the history of the European Union. However, we must remember that the recovery fund should correspond with all real economic problems of the member states, with their specificity, expectations and current needs, writes Mateusz Morawiecki.
Commissioner Ferreira: ‘A crisis of this dimension cannot be addressed with a 1% GNI budget’
The COVID-19 outbreak has resulted in the worst recession in the history of the EU, which the European Commission aims to tackle with an unprecedented stimulus package. The Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, explained the ambitious plan in an exclusive interview.
Commission to rely more on financial engineering for external action
The European Commission's fresh budget proposal is set to increase the overall financing available for external action but it will rely more on financial engineering, with guarantees and 'multiplier effects', than on traditional funding via the EU long-term budget.
Commission sets sights on digital-savvy citizens
The European Commission has reiterated the importance of up-skilling adults and young people across the bloc, in order to make European workers more agile in the post-coronavirus digital economy. Speaking as part of an event hosted by Digital Europe on...
EU’s new food policy will match CAP goals, Commission says
The new Farm to Fork (F2F) strategy is compatible with the general thrust of the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)'s proposal presented in June 2018, provided that its core aspects are confirmed in the legislative process, the European Commission has stressed in response to a query from EU lawmakers.
‘A quantum leap’: German MEPs welcome EU debt for recovery plan
Until recently, the German government resisted taking on joint EU debt. Now, Germans are heaping praise on the recovery plan presented today by the EU Commission. EURACTIV Germany reports.
All eyes on Germany’s ‘crisis’ presidency, expected to lead EU recovery
The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic has forced Germany to radically revise the priorities for its EU Council Presidency in the second half of the year. One thing is clear: the biggest EU country takes the helm in the midst of an unprecedented crisis, at a crucial time for the bloc's recovery efforts. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Taming the ‘Frugal Four’: the challenge facing the German Presidency
The European Commission has presented its proposal for a recovery fund as part of the draft EU budget. Now the member states must be convinced, a task that will fall on Berlin when Germany takes over the EU Council Presidency in July, EURACTIV Germany reports.
Defence and security win battle but not war, in EU budget plans
While the new EU budget proposal charts an improvement from the European Commission’s previously planned outlay for the bloc’s defence initiatives, it still remains far from original ambitions. On Wednesday (27 May), the European Commission increased the total financial firepower...
Commission mulls digital tax to fund Europe’s multi-billion euro recovery
The European Commission is considering bringing back Europe-wide plans for a digital services tax in order to finance the bloc's €750 billion recovery fund, the executive said on Wednesday (27 May).
Volt MEP: Abolishing unanimity is key to making the EU more effective
The coronavirus crisis has once again shown that reforms of "the basic structure" of the EU are necessary, including abolishing unanimity in the European Council, to strengthen the EU's ability to act, German MEP Damian Boeselager (Volt) told EURACTIV Germany in an interview.
French MEP floats ‘win-win’ green compromise on EU budget
A European tax on financial transactions and corporate profits could bring an annual €120 billion to the EU budget and finance a green recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, without asking a penny more from national governments, says Pierre Larrouturou.
Member states brace for ‘great stimulus’ battle
The European Commission’s proposal on the next seven-year budget and the accompanying recovery fund will this Wednesday (27 May) launch one of the most difficult negotiations in the EU history, as member states disagree over the size, shape and conditions, and primarily whether to give grants or loans.
Europe’s Franco-German ‘motor’ sputters back to life
President Emmanuel Macron and Chancellor Angela Merkel have jump-started the Franco-German "motor" at the heart of Europe by jointly pitching a hugely ambitious economic recovery plan, even if it faces a bumpy road ahead.
Environmental NGOs launch appeal for green reconstruction
An association of ten major European environmental organisations today (14 May) launched an appeal to the European Union to come up with a green and fair reconstruction plan. Today, the EU Parliament will vote on its position on this issue. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Agriculture Commissioner backs Poland’s plan to hike CAP spending
Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski said he will recommend member states to support Poland's position to increase the budget for EU's farming subsidies by 10% than proposed by the Commission in 2018.
EU Parliament to ask for ‘massive’ €2 trillion corona recovery package
The European Parliament will demand a €2 trillion recovery package to counter the economic fallout of the COVID-19 crisis in a resolution to be voted on Thursday (14 May) by the assembly's five biggest political groups.
Von der Leyen unveils details of EU’s upcoming COVID-19 recovery plan
European Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen shed some light on her upcoming COVID-19 recovery plan in the European Parliament on Wednesday (13 May) but did not unveil the size of the updated EU budget that will underpin the plan.
Europe’s defence budget up in the air amid COVID-19 recovery spending
EU countries should avoid slashing defence spending under pressure from the economic fallout of the coronavirus, the EU’s chief diplomat Joseph Borrell said on Tuesday (13 May), warning that the COVID-19 crisis could spark unforeseen security challenges.
Czech PM must stay out of EU budget talks, say MEPs
MEPs in charge of controlling EU spending on Thursday (7 May) said Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš should stay out of negotiations towards the bloc's future budget until a probe into a possible conflict of interest was resolved.