Ahead of tomorrow’s final plenary vote on the EU budget 2025, the Socialists and Democrats are continuing their efforts to build a majority for the conciliation agreement reached under their leadership. The EU budget 2025 will amount to €200bn. This means that it is 6% higher than this year’s with an increase of €10bn. The conciliation agreement concluded a marathon negotiation process that started this spring when the European Commission made its proposal for annual budget. The negotiating team of the European Parliament has been led by its vice-president and Member of the S&D Group Victor Negrescu. The political agreement reached with the member states in the Council of the EU – at dawn of 16 November – will be put to the vote of all Members of the European Parliament tomorrow.

Victor Negrescu, leading negotiator on the EU budget 2025 for the Parliament, said:

“This is the first annual budget after the recently revised Multiannual Financial Framework of the EU for the period 2021-2027. Our group regards it not as spending but as an investment in people and business in times of growing uncertainties and populism both in Europe and the rest of the world. What we vote on tomorrow is an annual budget designed to provide financial resources in the areas that require common action. Different EU polls tell us one thing – citizens expect us to finance the programmes and actions that increase their living standards and protect their prosperity and quality of life.

“I am happy and proud we preserved the programmes from major cuts, which the Council initially asked for. We, the Socialists and Democrats, cannot accept the EU budget to follow the logic of austerity, which had a devastating effect over Europe more than a decade ago. In the meantime, we are aware of the responsibility of the European Union: it has to pay the debts, the ones that we took on international financial markets to tackle the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic. During the difficult moments for our economy and people, the EU proved it works best when it is united instead of leaving the national governments to deal with problems individually. As a result, we created the NextGenerationEU (NGEU) – the instrument to fund the economic recovery of European people and business. I am happy the political agreement we made includes a solution for financing the repayment costs without cutting essential programmes like Erasmus+ or those for research and development, contrary to the initial idea of member states.”

"In terms of figures, I am proud I negotiated the following on behalf of the European Parliament and the Socialists and Democrats, on top of the Commission’s proposal:

• €422m more for education and young people (Erasmus+) (total €4.3bn);
• €45m more for research, innovation and health (Horizon Europe – Cluster Health, European Innovation Council, European Research Council, Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions) (total €12.7bn in addition to the European Research Council);
• €30m more for young farmers and €40m extra for the promotion of agricultural products (total €39.9bn for the European Agriculture Guarantee Fund);
• €5m more for nature, biodiversity and climate action (LIFE programme) (total €776m);
• €8 million to enhance crisis response to natural disasters linked to climate change (Civil Protection Mechanism) (total €211m); 
• €10m more for management of the EU external borders, in particular for Schengen enlargement with Romania and Bulgaria (total €1.2bn) and €2m more for our policy on asylum and migration (total €1.8bn);
• €6m more for military mobility (total €252m);
• €50m more for humanitarian aid due to global crises and climate emergencies (total €1.8bn) 

“There were also additional staff and funds secured for the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) and Europol. At the same time, we managed to restore €1.5bn of reductions made by the Council to flagship programmes, and still retain a sizeable amount of flexibility for next year.

“We also have provisions in the budget for additional disaster relief in our regions and rural areas that will help our citizens and small companies affected by floods, droughts and wildfires. As part of the agreement, we agreed to frontload payment appropriations of up to €3bn to provide support for regions affected by natural disasters.

“The numbers speak for themselves: EU budget 2025 works for people and provides adequate funding for their needs. Today, the member states approved, in the Council of the EU, the political agreement we had reached on next year’s budget. I urge colleagues from other political groups in the Parliament to stand behind us, the Socialists and Democrats, in the last step that remains to be taken – the adoption of the political agreement by the plenary tomorrow.”