On the 18th of October, members of the European Parliament (MEPs) voted in favor of boosting the 2024 EU budget in order to tackle pressing issues and reinforce the EU’s resilience. With a focus on mitigating the repercussions of Russia’s war against Ukraine, supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), empowering young people, promoting research, and bolstering the EU’s strategic autonomy, the budget adjustments respond to the evolving geopolitical and economic landscape.
MEPs underscore the new policy needs arising from the changing global context and the escalating climate and biodiversity crisis. They have aligned their position on the 2024 budget with the proposed mid-term revision of the EU’s long-term budget (MFF), potentially infusing up to €75.8 billion into the EU budget between 2024 and 2027.
Drawing from this proposed budgetary boost, MEPs have fortified initiatives aimed at enhancing the EU’s strategic autonomy, humanitarian aid, migration management, and external assistance. Furthermore, they have called for the revised MFF regulation to provide the framework for the 2024 budget, although member states have yet to reach a consensus on this revision.
In addition to this, Parliament has reversed cuts made by the Council and increased funding for vital programmes, emphasising the need to address the consequences of the conflict in Ukraine, high energy prices, post-pandemic recovery, and the green transition. One notable development is the boost to Erasmus+ to accommodate higher inflation and living costs, making the programme more accessible to young people.
Next steps
The plenary vote initiates a three-week period of “conciliation” discussions with the Council, aiming to achieve an agreement between the two institutions in preparation for the next year’s budget. The 2024 EU budget will undergo a parliamentary vote and be signed by the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, before the end of the year.
Further information can be found on the European Parliament’s website.
To learn more about current calls for proposals or Eurodiaconia’s funding events, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our Projects and EU Funding Officer Giorgia Signoretto at giorgia.signoretto@eurodiaconia.org.