Key Takeaways from the European Commission Communication on the MFF

Article by Kasia Lemanska, Aidsfonds EU Representative; Valentina Barbagallo, Global Citizen EU Representative; Emily Wigens, The ONE Campaign EU Director; and Eloise Todd, Pandemic Action Network Executive Director & Co-Founder

On February 11, the European Commission published The Road to the Next Multiannual Financial Framework. The Communication outlines the direction of travel ahead of the proposal that the Commission plans to publish in July 2025, and makes a case for a much-needed stronger EU budget.

The scale of challenges Europe faces—many of them global—demands a budget that is future-proof and substantially larger. This is especially true for external action: as highlighted in the Niinistö report, the EU must invest in mutual resilience with partners. The Communication rightly points out that less than 20% of the Sustainable Development Goals targets are on track, humanitarian needs are rising, and climate-related disasters are becoming more frequent and severe, with devastating social and economic costs. As Niinistö put it: “Strengthening partners’ capacity to prevent, withstand, or effectively respond to extreme weather events, health crises, hybrid campaigns, cyberattacks, or the flaring up of armed conflict also lowers the risk of cascading or spillover effects for Europe.”  It is therefore clear that investing in development and climate action is not just a moral imperative; it is a strategic necessity. To position itself as the partner of choice and build mutual resilience, the EU must scale up investment in development and climate action to at least €200 billion.

However, revamping the EU budget should not fix what is not broken. A potential merger of external action instruments would leave Europe and our partners less safe and less prosperous in an increasingly unpredictable world. While flexibility is important, what has hampered the ability of the NDICI - Global Europe to match the EU’s ambitions has been the lack of resources and forced trade-offs. The Communication recognizes the importance of predictability for long-term investments. This is particularly true for development aid, where reliable, sustained funding makes the EU a trusted partner — critical in an era of uncertainty and essential for forging the mutually beneficial partnerships the EU seeks.

The Communication also highlights the need to modernize revenues, particularly through own resources, not least to reimburse joint EU borrowing via Next Generation EU, which could leave a hole equivalent to 20% of the current budget. Beyond the proposals currently on the table, the EU must take advantage of discussions on a fresh approach to the budget and introduce new own resources — particularly targeting the most polluting sectors, which must contribute their fair share at a time of constrained resources. This will be crucial not only for repaying joint borrowing but also for ensuring that the EU can continue investing in its own future — one that is inseparable from the future of its partners.