The negotiating package for the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF 2028-2034) was published on Thursday afternoon by the Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the EU. The Presidency describes it as a ‘mature and revised’ negotiating framework, which for the first time presents concrete figures rather than ranges across the four headings. At the same time, work is being advanced on the legislative files concerning the National and Regional Partnership Plans (NRPP), the European Competitiveness Fund (ECF), and the Global Europe programme. The document consolidates, in a single text, specific budgetary amounts and is intended to serve as a convergence basis for further political negotiations, without representing a final outcome.
The overall package, based on the draft proposal put forward by the European Commission in July 2025, is approximately 2% lower than the original proposal, corresponding to a reduction of around pound 32.8 billion. In terms of scale, it amounts to roughly 1.23% of EU Gross National Income (GNI), or 1.13% when excluding the repayment of NextGenerationEU debt. The adjustment is distributed across all expenditure categories, although not in a strictly horizontal manner, as the specific political and institutional characteristics of each policy area are taken into account.
In the first heading, which includes cohesion policy, agriculture, and fisheries (the Common Agricultural Policy and the Common Fisheries Policy), the Commission’s initial proposal had already resulted in real-term reductions compared to the current MFF, with particularly significant cuts in fisheries funding, which had been reduced by around 70% in committed appropriations. The new negotiating package foresees an increase of the relevant envelope to pound 2 billion in current prices; however, even with this adjustment, the level remains approximately 38.5% lower than the current MFF.
At the same time, within cohesion policy, the issue of Member States with Gross National Income below 90% of the EU average is highlighted, as the initial design did not sufficiently address their investment gap in areas such as transport and the environment, prompting discussions on targeted support. Within the Common Agricultural Policy, adjustments have already been introduced to increase flexibility in the use of funds, including the possibility of transferring resources from flexibility reserves to CAP interventions, in order to address implementation needs.
For the headings 2 and 3 covering competitiveness, defence, security, research, and external action, a uniform adjustment of around 3.9% is proposed for each. These areas had already seen significant increases in the Commission’s original proposal, and the current adjustment is therefore described more as a moderation of growth rather than a genuine cut. Despite these changes, funding levels remain clearly above those of the current programming period, maintaining the EU’s strategic emphasis on priorities such as European defence, technological development, and competitiveness.
It is noted that specific allocations for overseas territories and treaty-based obligations of Heading 4, such as the Euratom programme, are not affected, while in the fourth heading the adjustment is limited to 0.5%, reflecting the available budgetary margin.
In terms of architecture, the new framework presented by the Cypriot Presidency maintains the central role of the National and Regional Partnership Plans (NRPP), which serve as the main mechanism for national allocations and underpin policies such as cohesion and agriculture. At the same time, it strengthens the logic of multi-level governance and partnership, with increased involvement of regions.
The European Competitiveness Fund (ECF) consolidates competitive programmes without pre-allocated national envelopes and focuses on areas such as research and innovation, defence and space, clean technologies, digital transformation, and health. Negotiations on this instrument are reportedly at an advanced technical stage.
Significant progress is also noted on the Global Europe programme, which reshapes the EU’s external financing architecture by combining development cooperation with the Union’s broader geopolitical priorities. The aim is to enhance the EU’s credibility as an international partner while preserving the predictability and stability of development assistance.
The negotiating framework is not a final agreement but a key intermediate stage designed to establish a realistic basis for convergence among Member States. The objective is to create the conditions for a political agreement by 2026, allowing sufficient time for Member States to prepare their national programmes for the post-2027 period.