EU states agree 'realistic' EU Budget for 2025
EU Budget
(BRUSSELS) - The EU Council reached agreement on its position on the EU's 2025 draft budget Wednesday with next year's budget amounting to EUR 191.53 billion in commitments and EUR 146.21 bn in payments.
The agreement provides the starting point for negotiations with the European Parliament.
Overall, the Council takes a prudent approach, said Peter Banai, Hungarian finance minister, for the EU presidency. The Council stresses the importance for the budget for 2025 to continue showing the EU's solidarity with the people of Ukraine and to respond to the related crises.
The Council considers that next year's budget should be realistic, in line with actual needs, ensure prudent budgeting and leave sufficient margins under the multiannual financial framework (MFF) ceilings to deal with unforeseen circumstances and address the Union's challenges.
At the same time, the budget for 2025 needs to provide enough resources to ensure the implementation of the EU's policies and programmes and to allow commitments already made to be paid in due time.
The Council has welcomed that the draft budget for 2025 is aligned with the outcome of the agreement on the revision of the EU's multiannual financial framework (MFF 2021-2027), as outlined in the European Council conclusions of 1 February 2024.
In this regard, the Council stresses the need to properly finance the priorities laid down in the MFF revision, considering the budgetary implementation of all programmes and reprioritisation, when necessary.
Commitments are legal promises to spend money on activities whose implementation extends over several financial years.
Payments cover expenditure arising from commitments entered into the EU budget during current and preceding financial years.
The legal deadline for reaching agreement on the annual budget is 18 November 2024 at midnight.
Council position on the draft budget for the financial year 2025
Statements to the Council position on the draft budget for the financial year 2025
Technical Annexes to the Council position on the draft budget for the financial year 2025