20 June 2017

EU revises its budget framework for 2014-2020 to meet new priorities

It is also strengthening its capacity to react to unexpected events. These are the main purposes of a revised EU budgetary framework for 2014-2020 which was adopted by the Council on 20 June 2017.

The revised multi-annual financial framework (MFF) increases the resources earmarked for the EU's main priorities by €6.01 billion for the years 2017-2020 

• €2.08 billion will help stimulate growth and create jobs through a number of highly effective programmes such as the youth employment initiative (+€1.2 billion), Horizon 2020 (+€200 million), and Erasmus+ (+€100 million)
• €2.55 billion will be available to address migration, enhance security and strengthen external border control
• €1.39 billion will be available for tackling the root causes of migration

 So that the EU is better prepared to address unforeseen needs, the revised MFF: 

• increases the annual amounts that can be spent under the flexibility instrument and the emergency aid reserve by an average of €150 million and €23 million respectively in the years 2017 -2020
• allows unused amounts from the EU solidarity fund and the European globalisation adjustment fund to be used under the flexibility instrument; these amounts would otherwise have been lost; for 2017 this means that additional €646 million  will be available under the flexibility instrument
• increases by a total of €5.9 billion the maximum amount by which the annual MFF payment ceiling can be raised in the years 2019 and 2020 to recycle unused payments; the overall ceiling will be kept unchanged in real terms through a corresponding decrease in the payment ceilings for the years in which they are not fully used

 The increased scope for recycling unused payments will also reduce the risk of an excessive backlog of unpaid bills. In addition, the Council and the European Parliament undertook to take steps to avoid the excessive accumulation of unpaid bills. [...]

Press release

MFF regulation for 2014-2020 following the mid-term review

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