Description
On 19 June, the Commission proposed an annual EU budget of €199.7 billion for 2025. The budget will be complemented by €72 billion of disbursements under NextGenerationEU. This substantial budget will help the EU realise its political priorities while incorporating the changes agreed in the mid-term review of the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) in February 2024.
The draft budget 2025 directs the funds to areas where they can make the most difference, in cooperation and in line with the needs of EU Member States and partners around the world, aimed at making Europe more resilient and ready for the future, for the benefit of EU citizens and businesses. This will be achieved by fostering green and digital transitions, creating jobs while strengthening Europe's strategic autonomy and role in the world. This will make it possible to support key critical technologies through the Strategic Technologies Platform for Europe (STEP).
The draft budget will also ensure, in line with the MFF mid-term review, continued support for Syrian refugees in Turkey and the region as a whole, as well as for the entire southern neighbourhood (also taking into account the external dimension of migration), and the Western Balkans. Above all, it will provide stable and predictable support to Ukraine.
The Commission proposes to allocate the following amounts (in spending commitments) to these priority areas
- €53.8 billion for the Common Agricultural Policy and €900 million for the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund, for the benefit of European farmers and fishermen, but also with the aim of strengthening the resilience of the agri-food and fisheries sectors and equipping them for crisis management;
- EUR 49.2 billion for regional development and cohesion to support economic, social and territorial cohesion and the infrastructure on which the Union's green transition and priority projects will be based;
- 16.3 billion in support of the EU's partners and interests in the world, of which €10.9 billion under the Neighbourhood, Development Cooperation and International Cooperation Instrument - Global Europe (NDICI), €2.2 billion for the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA III) and €500 million for the Western Balkans Growth Facility, as well as €1.9 billion for Humanitarian Aid (HUMA).
- A further EUR 4.3 billion will be available in grants under the Ukraine Facility, supplemented by EUR 10.9 billion in loans;
- 13.5 billion for research and innovation, of which €12.7 billion for Horizon Europe, the Union's flagship programme for research. The draft budget also includes funding for the chip regulation within Horizon Europe and through redeployment from other programmes;
- 4.6 billion for strategic European investments, of which €2.8 billion for the Connecting Europe Facility to improve cross-border infrastructure, €1.1 billion for the Digital Europe Programme to shape the Union's digital future, and €378 million for InvestEU's key priorities (research and innovation, dual green and digital transition, health sector and strategic technologies);
- 2.1 billion in space-related expenditure, mainly for the EU space programme, which will bring together the Union's actions in this strategic sector;
- 11.8 billion for resilience and values, including €5.2 billion for the growing financial burden of NextGenerationEU, €4 billion for Erasmus+ to create education and mobility opportunities for people, €352 million to support artists and creators across Europe, and €235 million to promote justice, rights and values
- 2.4 billion for the environment and climate action, including €771 million for the LIFE programme to support climate change mitigation and adaptation, and €1.5 billion for the Fund for a Just Transition to make the green transition work for all;
- 2.7 billion for border protection, of which €1.4 billion for the Integrated Border Management Fund (IBMF) and €997 million (total EU contribution) for the European Border and Coastguard Agency (Frontex);
- 2.1 billion for internal EU expenditure related to migration, of which €1.9 billion to support migrants and asylum seekers, in line with EU values and priorities;
- 1.8 billion to address defence challenges, including €1.4 billion to support capability development and research under the European Defence Fund (EDF), as well as €244.5 million to support Military Mobility
- 977 million to ensure the functioning of the Single Market, including €613 million for the Single Market programme and €205 million for anti-fraud, taxation and customs activities;
- EUR 583 million for the EU Health Programme (EU4Health) to ensure a comprehensive health response to people's needs and EUR 203 million for the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (rescEU) to be able to mobilise operational assistance quickly in the event of a crisis;
- €784 million for security, including €334 million for the Internal Security Fund (ISF), which will fight terrorism, radicalisation, organised crime and cybercrime;
- EUR 196 million for secure satellite connections under the new Union Programme for Secure Connectivity.
The draft budget for 2025 is part of the Union's long-term budget adopted in late 2020 and amended in February 2024, with subsequent technical adjustments, and aims to translate priorities into concrete results to be achieved annually. It includes expenditure covered by appropriations within the ceilings of the long-term budget, financed from own resources, plus expenditure under NextGenerationEU, financed by borrowing on the capital markets. For the "basic" budget, two amounts are proposed for each programme in the draft budget: one for commitments and the other for payments. Commitments' are the funds that can be contracted in a given year, while 'payments' are the amounts actually disbursed. All amounts are in current prices.
Source: European Commission Representation in Italy Press Office
Photo: European Council