The road to the next Multiannual Financial Framework

The European Economic and Social Committee’s ECO section has adopted a forward-looking opinion outlining strategic recommendations for the EU’s next multiannual financial framework (MFF) beyond 2027. The opinion comes at a pivotal moment, as the EU prepares to align its long-term budget with rising geopolitical tensions, economic uncertainty, and urgent climate and social challenges. The EESC calls for a fundamental rethink of how the EU budget is structured, financed and deployed to ensure it can deliver genuine European public goods and support long-term resilience, competitiveness and cohesion.

Key points

In the opinion, ECO calls for

• a substantial increase in the size of the next MFF in real terms to meet the EU’s growing challenges. It also recommends revising the inflation adjustment mechanism to preserve the MFF's real value and reshaping the budget into a strategic investment tool that can deliver European public goods and long-term priorities.
• a simplification of current funding rules and a streamlining of overlapping programmes to reduce bureaucracy. It advocates for a shift towards performance- and impact-based funding, better monitoring, and improved access to EU funds for local-level actors, civil society, and businesses.
• reinforcing investment in areas of clear European interest—such as defence, innovation, infrastructure, and social cohesion—through tools like joint borrowing and co-financing mechanisms. It also calls for the creation of a ‘Democracy Shield’ to protect democratic values and support civil society, independent media, and the rule of law across the EU and in candidate countries.

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Additional information

EESC section: Economic and Monetary Union and Economic and Social Cohesion (ECO)

Opinion type: Optional

Rapporteur: Elena-Alexandra CALISTRU (Civil Society Organisations - GR III/Romania), Konstantinos DIAMANTOUROS (Employers - GR I/Greece), Stefano PALMIERI (Workers - GR II/Italy)

Reference: ECO/662-EESC-2025

Date of adoption by section: 15/4/2025

Date of adoption in plenary: 29-30/4/2025

Contact

Thomas Kersten

Press Officer

Tel.: +32 (0) 2 546 8931

Email : thomas.kersten@eesc.europa.eu

Gerald Klec

Policy Officer

Tel. : +32 (0) 25469909

Email: eco@eesc.europa.eu