A sovereign and social Europe

Two women with their backs turned to the camera holding up an EU flag. — Creator: Viktorcvetkovic | Getty Images Signature via canva.com

Forging a progressive EU budget 2028-2034

A sovereign and social Europe depends on the financial choices the EU makes today.

Strengthening competitiveness and capacity for innovation must go hand in hand with social cohesion, democratic governance, and the rule of law.

Budgetary decisions have to:

Support sustainable economic growth;
Create opportunities for participation;
Foster equality;
and strengthen Europe’s resilience through a deeper internal market and diverse international partnerships based on fair and just cooperation

Will the next EU budget deliver?

The ongoing negotiations for the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2028-2034 will determine whether these ambitions are backed by the resources needed to turn them into action.

Throughout the negotiations, we accompany the process through discussions, expert meetings, publications and other formats, encouraging policymakers to assess budgetary choices through a social-democratic lens.

We look at proposals for social programmes and policy instruments with significant social impact and strive to ensure that they reinforce Europe’s social foundations.

Taking a comprehensive approach

The MFF negotiations feature prominently across all policy areas we are covering at the FES EU Office, from economic governance and gender justice to enlargement and external action, security and defence, migration, and trade and development.

Explore the projects below to see how budgetary decisions across these policy areas can contribute to a more social, resilient and democratic Europe.

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