Press release – EU budget 2025: restoring Council’s cuts, reinforcing key EU programmes and managing borrowing costs
Brussels, 27 November 2024
The European Parliament today adopted its position on the 2025 EU budget, calling for the restoration of the cuts made by the Council in the proposed budget, as well as reinforcements for key EU programmes and measures to manage the costs of borrowing.
The Parliament’s position was adopted by a large majority, with 560 votes in favour, 79 against and 60 abstentions.
The total amount of the EU budget for 2025 is set at €187.7 billion in commitments and €165.6 billion in payments. This represents an increase of €4.2 billion in commitments and €2.6 billion in payments compared to the Commission’s proposal.
The Parliament’s amendments aim to:
- Restore the cuts made by the Council in the proposed budget, in particular in the areas of research and innovation, education, culture and youth.
- Reinforce key EU programmes, such as the European Social Fund+, Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe.
- Provide additional funding for measures to manage the costs of borrowing, such as the interest payments on the EU’s NextGenerationEU recovery fund.
The Parliament also adopted a resolution accompanying the budget, in which it calls for a more ambitious EU budget in the long term. The resolution states that “the EU budget should be a key tool for addressing the challenges facing Europe, such as the climate crisis, the digital transformation and the need to strengthen our social model”.
The Parliament’s position on the 2025 EU budget will now be sent to the Council for negotiation. The two institutions will aim to reach an agreement on the final budget before the end of the year.
Quotes
“The EU budget is a powerful tool for investing in our future and addressing the challenges facing Europe,” said Siegfried Mureşan (EPP, RO), Chair of the Committee on Budgets. “The Parliament’s position on the 2025 budget reflects our commitment to investing in research, innovation, education, culture and youth, as well as measures to manage the costs of borrowing.”
“The EU budget is a symbol of our shared values and ambitions,” said Eider Gardiazábal Rubial (S&D, ES), rapporteur for the 2025 budget. “The Parliament’s position on the budget sends a clear message that we are committed to a more ambitious and sustainable Europe.”
Background
The EU budget is the annual financial plan of the European Union. It is divided into two parts: commitments, which are the amounts that the EU can legally commit to spending in a given year, and payments, which are the amounts that the EU actually pays out in a given year.
The EU budget is financed by contributions from the Member States, which are based on their gross national income. The EU also has a number of other sources of income, such as customs duties and fines.
The EU budget is used to fund a wide range of programmes and activities, including research and innovation, education, culture, youth, agriculture, regional development and foreign aid.
Further information
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