Deal on 2025 EU Budget

The EPP Group has welcomed a deal on a €199.44 billion EU budget for 2025, achieved between European Parliament and Council (Member States) negotiators in the early hours of Saturday morning.

“From the outset, the EPP Group was clear that we could not accept attempts by EU Member States to cut €1.52 billion from the Union's draft budget for 2025", said Andrzej Halicki MEP, EPP Group Vice-Chair and lead negotiator on Budget 2025.

"In the current geopolitical reality, it would be ludicrous to weaken the Union’s budget at this time. On the contrary, we should be working to strengthen it, in order to boost competitiveness, economic growth, job creation and improve the lives of people and communities across the Union. Citizens and businesses across the EU deserve greater certainty and reassurance that the Union is ready to support them through funding programmes and is prepared to respond in case of emerging crises.”

The EPP Group pushed to restore funds across vital programmes such as the EU's flagship research programme, Horizon Europe. Priority areas include the Civil Protection Mechanism, which enables the EU to respond to natural disasters; young farmers, security, border and migration management; and increased humanitarian aid the context of global conflicts and crises.

MEP Halicki adds that an agreement reached on how to manage the repayment of interest costs of money that the EU borrowed during the COVID pandemic, the so-called 'EURI line', is "not perfect, but alleviates some pressure on budgetary planning". It was an issue that urgently had to be addressed, in Halciki's view.

The European Parliament will hold a final plenary vote on Budget 2025 on 27 November.