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The total commitments are set at €165.8 billion, which is an increase of 3.2% compared with the 2018 budget as amended over the past months. Payments amount to €148.2 billion, 2.4% more than in 2018.
Leeway of €1.3 billion is left available under the ceilings of the multiannual financial framework to allow the EU to react to unforeseen events and needs.
Continued focus on growth and young people
To support growth and job creation, commitments of €23.3 billion were agreed under subheading 1a (competitiveness for growth and jobs), which is 6.1% more than in 2018.
This includes a strong boost for Horizon 2020, which gets €12.3 billion to support research and innovation, an increase of 9.8% on 2018. The Connecting Europe Facility is also reinforced, receiving €3.8 billion to fund infrastructure projects across Europe (37.0% more than in 2018). €367 million (+3.7%) are allocated to COSME to provide support for small and medium-sized enterprises.
In line with the EU's priorities, young people will also benefit from more opportunities.
Erasmus+ gets a significant boost, with €2.8 billion provided for youth exchanges, 19.5% more than in 2018. The Youth Employment Initiative receives an additional €350 million to help young people looking for a job in regions with high unemployment. More possibilities will also become available for volunteering and work in projects through the European Solidarity Corps, for which support is more than tripled compared with 2018 (€143 million). [...]