The European Parliament’s committee on budgets adopted today a report on the guidelines for the EU budget for next year. The report has been drafted and negotiated under the leadership of S&D MEP, Victor Negrescu. The Socialists and Democrats gathered a strong majority asking the European Commission to propose an annual budget with the social criterion as a cross-cutting principle for the funding of all policies and measures. The adoption of the guidelines by the parliamentary committee is the first step of the regular annual budgetary procedure in the EU. These guidelines are the official signal the European Parliament sends to the European Commission and the member states on what the MEPs expect to see in the draft budget for the EU budget 2025. 

Victor Negrescu, S&D MEP and European Parliament’s negotiator on the matter in the committee on budgets, said:

“I am delighted we convinced the other groups to support the work I negotiated on behalf of the Socialists and Democrats. The feeling of insecurity for tomorrow is too wide spread among Europeans throughout our Union. We have to address this fear and provide for people’s needs in the face of so many challenges. In times of rising populism and anti-European messages communicated by many right wing parties, the best way to reassure our citizens about the benefits of the EU is by ensuring that the EU budget makes a tangible and visible difference to their lives. In practical terms, this means granting access to medicines and health technologies, supporting agriculture and rural areas, quality job creation in cutting-edge industries, future-proofing the labour market through skills development and talent booster schemes, as well as establishing a European education plan with financial resources to support quality education and teacher training. 

“Too many people suffer from extreme weather events, such as severe fires, floods and other natural disasters linked to worsening climate change throughout Europe. In order to answer to their needs, we have to properly fund the EU civil protection mechanism. Another major challenge ahead for us is the deepening digitalisation of our societies, offering many new opportunities. The S&D Group wants to see the EU budget 2025 fund activities that help people get the most out of it, for example by boosting digital skills for all Europeans regardless if they live in big cities or remote and rural areas, attracting more women and girls in the STEM sector, as well as using Artificial Intelligence to achieve better results in education, medicine, agriculture, transport and energy.

“An affordable and sustainable energy supply to European homes and industries is, and will remain, of utmost importance, especially when it comes to vulnerable families and small and medium enterprises. This is why we expect the EU budget 2025 to invest in the ongoing EU green and digital transition.

“As the new EU Migration and Asylum Pact is entering into force, the EU budget 2025 will have to provide money for effective reception and integration, as well as for return and readmission procedures. It also has to provide funding for working together with third countries, to address the root causes of migration, prevent people from smuggling and trafficking, and eradicate deaths at sea. With so many conflicts so close to our doorstep, the EU budget 2025 is indispensable for humanitarian aid in order for our Union to respond to the intensified needs on the ground. 

“In the context of the full-scale invasion of Russia against Ukraine, vulnerable sectors of our economy and bordering member states are particularly at risk. This is why we ask for targeted funding in 2025 for agriculture and infrastructure, as well as for military mobility in the spirit of EU solidarity. The decision to grant a candidate status to countries like Ukraine and Moldova was great news, but if we want to remain coherent, next year we have to back our promises with the necessary funds for their accession process.”