In July 2025, the European Commission unveiled its proposal for the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2028-2034, setting out the EU’s spending priorities for the coming years. For the European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN), this proposal fails to reflect the reality faced by the 92.7 million people experiencing poverty across the EU. Rather than prioritising poverty eradication and social investment, it places competitiveness, defence and security at the heart of the EU budgetary agenda.

by Jessica Machacova, European Anti-Poverty Network

Following the launch of the first-ever EU Anti-Poverty Strategy by the European Commission on 6 May 2026, EAPN stresses that proper funding is essential for any policy to deliver meaningful results. Poverty cannot be effectively eradicated, or even, reduced, if the policies designed to tackle it are not backed by sufficient financial resources. While the strategy is an important step forward, its potential impact is seriously undermined by the absence of dedicated funding to support its implementation.

The MFF is a crucial instrument for translating the EU’s political commitments into lasting, tangible improvements in people’s lives. Yet without a budget explicitly focused on protecting social rights and reducing inequalities, how can the EU realistically achieve its objective of eradicating poverty by 2050?

This objective was first announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in her 2025 State of the Union address and later confirmed in the EU Anti-Poverty Strategy. However, it is still not supported by adequate budgetary resources or a clear policy roadmap outlining how poverty eradication will be achieved. 

From EAPN’s perspective, the European Commission’s proposal for the MFF moves in the opposite direction: social rights and social justice barely feature while competitiveness, security and defence are the priorities that dominate the political debate.

These priorities are also reflected in the proposed budget allocations. A threefold increase on the 2021–2027 MFF in funding for migration and border management is proposed, with a fivefold increase in the budget for defence and space.

By contrast, the level of investment dedicated to poverty eradication remains uncertain. No standalone budget has been identified for the European Social Fund (ESF). Moreover, the proposed minimum earmarking of 14% for social objectives within the National and Regional Partnership Plans (NRPPs) is not linked to achieving either the 2030 Porto poverty reduction target or the 2050 poverty eradication objective. It also fails to guarantee targeted support for marginalised groups.

Recent experience shows why such safeguards are necessary. During the mid-term review of the MFF 2021-2027, Member States were allowed to reallocate unused cohesion funds to other priorities. More than three-quarters of these reallocated funds were channelled into competitiveness and defence-related objectives while less than a quarter supported housing, access to water and sanitation and decarbonisation. This illustrates the fact that, when given flexibility, Member States tend to prioritise competitiveness and defence over social investment.

EAPN's analysis shows that marginalised groups will bear the cost of these political choices. Existing earmarking requirements for social inclusion and material deprivation have been removed from the proposed ESF for 2028–2034. The ESF, which currently represents one of the few reliable guarantees of dedicated support for those most at risk of poverty and exclusion, would allocate very little space to targeted funding for marginalised groups. Homeless people, women and Roma communities are mentioned solely in the recitals while undocumented people, migrants, single-parent families, racialised communities and LGBTIQA+ people do not feature at all. Without stronger commitments and robust safeguards, there is a real risk that these groups will receive little or no support from the NRPP funding allocated to Member States.

In short, the MFF 2028–2034 challenges the dominant narrative that the EU can both prioritise competitiveness, defence and security and adequately fund poverty eradication and social investment at the same time. While the former continue to dominate the political agenda, the latter are becoming increasingly invisible.

As negotiations continue, EAPN is engaging with both the European Parliament and the Council of the EU to ensure that sufficient resources are dedicated to poverty eradication, including through stronger ESF earmarking and safeguards for marginalised groups.

Ultimately, how the EU chooses to spend its money in the coming years is a political decision. That decision must place poverty eradication, social rights and the wellbeing of all people at the heart of the European project.

Jessica Machacova is Senior Policy and Advocacy Officer at the European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN). For the past 14 years, she has worked to advance human rights and social justice at EU level, in both civil society organisations and the EU institutions. Her experience includes roles at Equinet – European Network of Equality Bodies, the Red Cross EU Office, the European Commission and the European Parliament.