Latest documents

Summary : This briefing examines whether the Commission’s 16 July 2025 MFF package can credibly support social mainstreaming in the EU budget and a results-oriented approach aligned with the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR). It benchmarks the proposal against recent BUDG and CONT studies and briefings and flags gaps relevant for parliamentary oversight and legislative scrutiny. It argues that the proposed tracking logic conflates tagged spending and narrow delivery metrics with “results on the ground.” To better capture service outcomes and distributional and quality effects, it proposes adding an AAAQ layer (Availability, Accessibility, Acceptability, Quality). The briefing ends by identifying priority questions for a targeted follow-up study ahead of forthcoming legislative work.

Authors : PADILLA OLIVARES FRANCISCO JAVIE, LIVIANO D'ARCANGELO MARIA CHIARA

Summary : The Commission’s proposed Performance Regulation for the 2028–2034 MFF would replace the current fragmented system (thousands of programme indicators and multiple portals) with a single horizontal framework for expenditure tracking and performance reporting. The briefing argues this is politically consequential because standardisation defines what “counts” as EU budget performance. It may improve comparability and oversight, but risks forcing comparability across very different areas, favouring outputs over results and impacts, and potentially weakening parliamentary control since key parameters are set in annexes amendable by delegated acts or are left to the Commission's discretion such as the DNSH principle. It also flags methodological sensitivity in the 35% climate target, limited ambition in gender tracking, and the limits of a new social tracking approach that is output-oriented.

Authors : PADILLA OLIVARES Francisco Javier, JAMES Eleanor Remo, POUWELS Alexandra Cynthia Jana

Summary : In order to provide an overview of the debate on own resources in the context of the forthcoming negotiations on the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2028-2034, this mapping exercise aims to capture the EU’s overall revenue landscape. It covers existing EU own resources, proposed new own resources put forward by the European Commission as part of the MFF 2028–2034 package, own resources provided for in the 2020 Interinstitutional Agreement, as well as alternative new resources outlined in European Parliament reports and referenced in recent public debates.

Authors : SCHWARCZ András, GHIRAN-MERVEILLE Anda-Diana

Summary : The briefing analyses the Commission’s proposed National and Regional Partnership Plans (NRPPs) as a “hybrid” between Cohesion Policy shared management and the RRF’s performance-based disbursement (milestones and targets). It finds the model a workable template in principle, but one that requires redesign to ensure fair and comparable assessments and scrutiny, meaningful stakeholder participation, and monitoring that supports learning without excessive administrative burden. While verifiability is strengthened (clearer criteria, ex-ante payout values, recovery rules, monitoring committees), gaps remain, including vague links to EU Country Specifc Recommendations, weaknesses in the “regional test”, and an output-heavy indicator set that is ill-suited for real-time, effect-oriented monitoring of the EU long-term budget.

Authors : PADILLA OLIVARES FRANCISCO JAVIE

Summary : The briefing argues that the RRF’s broad legal framework, confidentiality, and “financing not linked to costs” gave the Commission and Member States wide discretion, allowing large sums to fund national projects with limited EU-level relevance and weak scrutiny. It stresses that reforms are especially hard to measure, so disbursements often hinge on procedural milestones rather than substantive performance. On this basis, it criticises the Commission’s MFF package for importing the model without clearly defining EU priorities or setting operational requirements that constrain discretion. The core fix is legislative: tighten priority-setting, reconsider the centrality of national plans, and reduce built-in information asymmetries, rather than relying on ex post oversight alone.

Authors : PADILLA OLIVARES FRANCISCO JAVIE

Summary : This document is a briefing that examines the budgetary and control aspects of the National and Regional Partnership Plan (NRPP) proposal, which forms part of the 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework package. It outlines the main concerns raised about the proposal, including weak impact assessment evidence, overlaps between the new horizontal conditions and existing regulations, the limited role of Parliament in the governance of the EU Facility, and accountability risks linked to the use of a performance-based model.

Authors : MUNARI Ludovica

Summary : This digest provides a collection of documents prepared by the academia, think tanks, other EU institutions and bodies, as well as stakeholders that can be useful for Members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Budgets to stay informed about the debate concerning the next Multiannual Financial Framework, starting in 2028. The document is produced monthly by the Budgetary Support Unit of DG BUDG and the European .

Authors : SCHWARCZ András, HOPP Balazs

Authors : SANDERSKI ANDRZEJ, SERPIERI Margherita

Summary : This digest provides a collection of documents prepared by academia, think tanks, other EU institutions and bodies, as well as stakeholders that could be useful for Members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Budgets to stay informed about the debate concerning the next Multiannual Financial Framework, due to start in 2028. It is one in a series produced monthly by the Budgetary Support Unit in the Directorate-General for Budgetary Affairs (DG BUDG) and the Members' Research Service in the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS).

Authors : SCHWARCZ András, HOPP Balazs

Summary : On 21 October 2025, the European Commission under Ursula von der Leyen's second mandate adopted its work programme for 2026 (2026 CWP). In line with the Commission President's political guidelines and letter of intent and highlighting the need for full implementation of Mario Draghi's competitiveness report, the 2026 CWP places a strong emphasis on competitiveness, innovation and collective security. In parallel, the Commission commits to advancing simplification, implementation, and this year, also to strengthening enforcement. These three areas will remain key horizontal priorities for the entire Commission mandate. Just like last year's CWP, the 2026 CWP adheres to the seven headline ambitions put forward in the political guidelines. It is accompanied by a report on implementation, simplification and enforcement, the first of its kind. This new annual report is set to replace the annual burden survey. Annex I of the 2026 CWP puts forward 70 major new legislative and non-legislative initiatives, 44 % of which fall under the competitiveness headline ambition. (Up to) 48 of the new initiatives are legislative, including three sector-specific omnibus packages (on energy product legislation, taxation and citizens). Of the forthcoming legislative initiatives, 67 % are likely revisions of existing legislation, while more than half have a strong simplification dimension. Unlike previous CWPs, the 2026 CWP does not indicate whether a legislative initiative will be accompanied by an impact assessment; this lack of transparency runs counter to the spirit of the Interinstitutional Agreement on Better Law-Making. Information on the Commission's 'Have your say' portal shows that, at the time of writing, two thirds of the up to 48 legislative initiatives were expected to be accompanied by an impact assessment (though the final number may be higher). The annual evaluation plan presented in Annex II of the CWP, comprising 20 evaluations, does not appear exhaustive. Finally, the communication on Better Regulation, expected in Q2 2026, may entail a revision of the Better Regulation Guidelines, the first since 2021.

Authors : ANGLMAYER Irmgard, DALLI HUBERT, IOANNIDES Isabelle

Summary : This study shows how parliaments in the EU-27 Member States, as well as Canada, Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States, exercise the budgetary control function. While the principles underpinning budgetary control are consistent, practices and cultures differ considerably.

Summary : This note describes the treaty provisions and appointment procedure for ECA members at EU level. In addition, it provides information on the national nomination procedure for the ECA member in Germany and the country’s candidate.

Authors : MILICEVIC Vera

Summary : Quantum technologies are developing rapidly. They have extensive uses in secure communications, energy, healthcare, manufacturing, defence and security, and space, and may bring about a change of paradigm in technological capabilities. Their economic and strategic value makes them a high priority for EU strategic autonomy. The new Quantum Europe Strategy intends to establish the EU as a global leader in quantum technologies by 2030. This paper explores the potential paths the EU can take to establish itself as a global leader in this field. To ensure that the strategy holds in a highly unpredictable world, we have conducted a foresight exercise to 'wind-tunnel' (stress-test) statements taken from the quantum strategy against the European Commission Joint Research Centre's four reference foresight scenarios.

Authors : PATAKI Gabor Zsolt

Summary : The study explores how final recipients and beneficiaries of EU funds in Hungary have been affected by measures imposed under the Conditionality Regulation. Drawing lessons from the Hungarian experience, it analyses the notion of ‘smart conditionality’ and examines the possible avenues to implement it in practice.

Authors : HAASE Diana, POUWELS Alexandra Cynthia Jana

Summary : BUDG-ECON Committee meeting on 24 November 2025 Executive Vice-President Fitto and Commissioner Dombrovskis are invited to the 21st Recovery and Resilience Dialogue (RRD), scheduled for 24 November 2025. The RRD is the mechanism by which the European Parliament exercises democratic oversight over the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) according to the RRF Regulation. The previous RRD took place on 8 September 2025.

Authors : SCHWARCZ András, MAGNUS Marcel, LOI GIACOMO, GHIRAN-MERVEILLE Anda-Diana, BECKER ĐURIČIĆ RUDI, MUNARI Ludovica

Summary : This digest provides a collection of documents prepared by the academia, think tanks, other EU institutions and bodies, as well as stakeholders that can be useful for Members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Budgets to stay informed about the debate concerning the next Multiannual Financial Framework, starting in 2028. The document is produced monthly by the Budgetary Support Unit of DG BUDG and the European.

Authors : SCHWARCZ András, HOPP Balazs

Summary : The European Commission has proposed a budget expenditure tracking and performance framework for the 2028-2034 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) to track horizontal principles and performance in the EU budget. Part of this framework aims at monitoring gender equality through a gender budgeting methodology. The methodology proposed is a continuation of the one currently used with one difference: the score 0* has been removed. Within the framework, the Commission added a specific list of programmes with gender equality as principal objective (‘gender equality score 2’).

Authors : POUWELS Alexandra Cynthia Jana

Summary : This study examines the impact of Conditionality Regulation measures on final recipients and beneficiaries of EU funds in Hungary and draws lessons from this experience. It explores the concept of ‘smart conditionality’ and potential avenues to implement it, including possible changes to the legislative framework governing implementation of the EU budget.

Authors : POUWELS Alexandra Cynthia Jana

Summary : The CONT Committee organised a conference to mark the 50th anniversary of the Budgetary Treaty of Brussels. The event, held on 24 September 2025, reflected on the history and evolution of the Treaty, highlighting key developments over the past 50 years (1975-2025). It also examined the future challenges of parliamentary scrutiny and budgetary control.

Summary : This digest provides a collection of documents prepared by academia, think tanks, other EU institutions and bodies, as well as stakeholders that could be useful for Members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Budgets to stay informed about the debate concerning the next Multiannual Financial Framework, due to start in 2028. It is one in a series produced monthly by the Budgetary Support Unit in the Directorate-General for Budgetary Affairs (DG BUDG) and the Members' Research Service in the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS).

Authors : SCHWARCZ András, HOPP Balazs

Authors : SANDERSKI ANDRZEJ, SERPIERI Margherita

Summary : This digest provides a collection of documents prepared by the academia, think tanks, other EU institutions and bodies, as well as stakeholders that can be useful for Members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Budgets to stay informed about the debate concerning the next Multiannual Financial Framework, starting in 2028. The document is produced monthly by the Budgetary Support Unit of DG BUDG and the European Parliamentary Research Service.

Authors : SCHWARCZ András, HOPP Balazs

Authors : SANDERSKI ANDRZEJ, SERPIERI Margherita

Summary : Executive Vice-President Fitto and Commissioner Dombrovskis are invited to the 20th Recovery and Resilience Dialogue (RRD), scheduled for 8 September 2025. The RRD is the mechanism by which the European Parliament exercises democratic oversight over the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) according to the RRF Regulation. The previous RRD took place on 16 June 2025.

Authors : SCHWARCZ András, MAGNUS Marcel, LOI GIACOMO

Summary : The first panel explored the concept of gender budgeting and its implementation at EU level. The second panel highlighted examples of gender budgeting, offering practical insights into its application. Both panels will be followed by Q&A sessions. The workshop brought together a range of speakers, including independent experts in the field and representatives of the European Institute for Gender Equality and the European Commission, to provide a comprehensive understanding of gender budgeting.

Authors : POUWELS Alexandra Cynthia Jana, LINDER JULIA SOFIA VIOLA MARGARETA

Summary : This note describes the treaty provisions and appointment procedure for ECA members at EU level. In addition, it provides information on the national nomination procedure for the ECA member in The Netherlands and the country’s candidate.

Authors : MILICEVIC Vera

Summary : This note describes the treaty provisions and appointment procedure for ECA members at EU level. In addition, it provides information on the national nomination procedure for the ECA member in Luxembourg and the country’s candidate.

Authors : MILICEVIC Vera

Summary : The Budgetary Support Unit provide in-house and external expertise to support the BUDG and CONT Committees and other parliamentary bodies in shaping legislation and exercising democratic scrutiny. This catalogue provides a list of BSU publications and workshops for CONT and BUDG committees

Summary : The implementation timetable for cohesion policy is defined largely by its legislative framework. In order to be able to plan parliamentary work and exercise systematic scrutiny of policy implementation and of the Commission’s work, it is essential to have an overview of the timing of different steps in policy implementation in the coming years. This type of briefing was first published (and subsequently updated) in 2014 covering the 2014-2020 programming period. This version includes the policy actions of the 2021-27 period, while still indicating the last steps of the 2014-20 period. It includes a detailed (but non-exhaustive) timetable of policy actions in 2025, together with an overview of major actions for the remainder of the programming period, from 2026. Given its contribution to cohesion in the European Union, policy actions under the Recovery and Resilience Facility are now included in the calendar. Policy actions related to budgetary and budgetary control aspects are coloured green (for the year 2025).

Authors : HAASE Diana

Summary : As a complement to the definitions set out in the first part of the Glossary, this second part offers additional analytical insights, including a brief conceptual history of the terms. It examines varied perspectives and illustrates how Performance Budgeting, Mainstreaming, and Conditionality are applied in EU policymaking. By drawing on academic literature, institutional reports, and case-based examples, it aims to support a critical reflection on the related challenges ahead of the 2028-2034 Multiannual Financial Framework.

Authors : PADILLA OLIVARES Francisco Javier, POUWELS Alexandra Cynthia Jana

Summary : This digest provides a collection of documents prepared by academia, think tanks, other EU institutions and bodies, as well as stakeholders, that can be useful for Members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Budgets to stay informed about the debate concerning the next Multiannual Financial Framework, starting in 2028. The document is produced on a monthly basis by the Budgetary Support Unit of DG BUDG and the European Parliamentary Research Service.

Authors : SCHWARCZ András, HOPP Balazs

Summary : The Committee on Budgetary Control (CONT) held a public hearing on 26 June 2025 to assess the impact of the EU Budget on the Member States that joined the EU since 2004. This briefing provided background information about the economic and social situation of countries that have joined the EU since 2004, as well as some lessons learned that can inform policy-makers when designing spending programmes for a newly enlarged EU in the future

Authors : HAASE Diana

Summary : The Committee on Budgetary Control (CONT) held a public hearing on 26 June 2025 to assess the impact of the EU Budget on the Member States that joined the EU since 2004.This briefing provided background information about the governance and financial management of cohesion policy funds, and some key factors influencing programme performance at Member State level.

Summary : The European Parliament is vested with powers of democratic oversight and political scrutiny vis-à-vis the European Commission. These powers of Parliament enhance the democratic legitimacy of the EU as a whole, and help increase the transparency and accountability of the Commission as the EU's executive body. This study examines Parliament's oversight and scrutiny powers over the Commission. It focuses mainly, but not exclusively, on the powers that are enshrined in specific provisions of the EU Treaties. This includes Parliament's role in the Commission's investiture, in motions of censure, parliamentary questions, committees of inquiry and special committees, and in the Commission's obligations to report, consult and inform. It also looks into Parliament's scrutiny over budgetary issues, of delegated acts, in the context of the EU legislative procedure and agenda-setting, of legal proceedings before the Court of Justice of the European Union, and of the EU's external relations. The study builds on a previous EPRS study on parliamentary scrutiny of the Commission, originally requested by the European Parliament's Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) in 2018. The data presented in this edition focus on the ninth term parliamentary term (2019 to 2024).

Authors : TENHUNEN Susanna, EISELE Katharina, AHAMAD MADATALI HANNAH NAFIZE, JANSEN Talander Hugo

Summary : Executive Vice-President Fitto and Commissioner Dombrovskis are invited to the 19th Recovery and Resilience Dialogue (RRD) under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) Regulation, scheduled for 16 June 2025. The previous RRD took place on 31 March 2025.

Authors : SCHWARCZ András, DE LEMOS PEIXOTO SAMUEL, LOI GIACOMO, ANTONINI LEONARDO

Summary : This glossary gives an overview of the definitions of performance, mainstreaming and conditionality. This glossary puts forward general definitions consistent with the way these concepts are used in the EU context while remaining, to the extent possible, consistent with commonly accepted notions found in grey and academic literature, as well as within international organisations such as the OECD and the UN. As a complement to these generic definitions, a forthcoming second part of this glossary will provide additional background elements based on a literature review that will provide a short history of the concepts, discuss eventual divergences in the way they are interpreted and provide illustrations on how these concepts are used in practice in EU policymaking.

Authors : PADILLA OLIVARES Francisco Javier, POUWELS Alexandra Cynthia Jana

Summary : This study examines the implications of future enlargements for the next MFF. It reviews adjustments made to the EU budget during past enlargements and estimates the budgetary costs of the accession of all current candidate and potential candidate countries (excluding Türkiye) under three alternative scenarios which distinguish between the number of enlargement countries and the timing of enlargement. It then provides policy recommendations for adapting the next MFF to enlargement. The study was prepared at the request of the Committee on Budgets.

Summary : The original full study analyses the implications of a shift towards performance-based instruments for budgetary control. In the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) and (to a lesser extent) Cohesion Policy, the use of Financing not Linked to Costs (FNLC) was adopted as a means of simplifying the financing of programmes funded by the EU. Instead of disbursements being based on costs, beneficiaries have to demonstrate that they have made progress towards achieving plans. For the RRF, qualitative milestones and quantitative targets are at the core of this new approach: beyond pre-financing, subsequent tranches of funding are only released once planned milestones/targets have been reached. From the perspective of budgetary control, monitoring and scrutinising performance-based instruments is more complicated than for the more traditional cost-based approach.

Summary : The expanded use of performance-based instruments, notably as used in the Recovery and Resilience Facility, requires adaptation of budgetary control. This study examines how key changes, such as financing not linked to costs and the use of milestones and targets to trigger disbursement alter budgetary control, The study also puts forward recommendations for the CONT committee of the European Parliament to consider in influencing negotiations on the next MFF.

Summary : This study introduces Members of the European Parliament to the different estimates of the level of error affecting EU expenditure in cohesion policy. It explains how the European Commission calculates the estimated ‘risk at payment’ and ‘risk at closure’, how the European Court of Auditors calculates the ‘estimated level of error’ and how the two methodologies differ. The conclusion provides guidance on interpreting the different estimates.

Summary : Executive Vice-President Fitto and Commissioner Dombrovskis are invited to the 18th Recovery and Resilience Dialogue (RRD) under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) Regulation, scheduled for 31 March 2025. The previous RRD took place on 10 February 2025. For further details on sections 1 and 2 please contact EGOV. For further details on section 3 please contact EGOV and BSU.

Summary : This research study provides an overview of other revenue and its current and potential future relevance in the EU revenue system. After setting out the conceptual foundations and important definitions related to other revenue, the study maps the different categories of other revenue and presents their development over time. Finally, the study discusses several options to strengthen the role of other revenue, considering both existing and potential new other revenue sources. This study was provided at the request of the BUDG Committee.

Authors : SCHWARCZ András

Summary : The original full study examines performance-based budgeting (PB) and mainstreaming, two relatively novel approaches to the governance of public expenditure which have become increasingly used in EU spending programmes. The two approaches have certain common features but differ in focus. To inform debate around the next multi-annual financial framework (MFF), this study assesses how the two have functioned in practice, seeking to identify shortcomings and recommend possible remedies.

Summary : The original full study commissioned by the European Parliament's Committee on Budgetary Control, presents an overview of the current anti-fraud architecture of the European Union, describing the composition, roles and responsibilities of the organisations involved, as well as their governance structures and forms of cooperation. The study examines the status quo, identifies potential risks and challenges related to the design and functioning of the architecture which can suggest further actions to improve its effectiveness. It places a particular focus on the role of the European Parliament in this context.

Summary : This study examines the implications of future enlargements for the next MFF. It reviews adjustments made to the EU budget during past enlargements and estimates the budgetary costs of the accession of all current candidate and potential candidate countries (excluding Türkiye) under three alternative scenarios which distinguish between the number of enlargement countries and the timing of enlargement. It then provides policy recommendations for adapting the next MFF to enlargement. The study was prepared at the request of the Committee on Budgets.

Summary : Commitments made at the confirmation hearings of the Commissioners-designate 2024-2029

Summary : Performance-based budgeting by focusing on ‘what works’, as opposed to whether money has been properly spent, aims to improve the quality of public spending. This study examines how successful the approach has been in the EU, looking at the multi-annual financial framework and the Recovery and Resilience Facility. The study looks, in particular, at the role of the European Parliament and how it could be enhanced, drawing on lessons from use of the approach in national settings.

Summary : The European Commission adopted the 2020-2025 Gender Equality Strategy to achieve significant progress towards gender equality across the EU by 2025. This included the introduction of the gender budgeting methodology in 2021. The methodology was applied to the budgets of 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025. The gender budgeting methodology categorises programmes using scores (2, 1, 0*, 0). However, vague criteria like ‘potential to contribute’ (score of 0*) and limited data undermine its accuracy and transparency. Only 2% of total funds are assigned to programmes with gender equality as their primary goal (score of 2), 9% of total funds are assigned to programmes which received a score of 1 and 69% of funds are assigned to programmes with a score of 0. This briefing gives an overview of the state of play of gender budgeting in the different EU programmes. It describes the methodology and gives examples of gender equality measures taken using EU funding

Authors : POUWELS Alexandra Cynthia Jana

Summary : Building on Part 1, which draws lessons from the implementation of CRII, CRII+, REACT-EU and SURE, Part 2 of this study explores alternative approaches to enhance the EU budget’s capacity to respond to crises and discusses the implications of these options from the point of view of control and accountability.

Summary : The recent high inflation affects EU Member States differently. It is therefore important to quantify country-specific inflation impacts in regard to the implementation of the EU budget. This in-depth study focuses on country-specific inflation effects regarding research expenditures, Cohesion Policy, the Common Agricultural Policy, and NextGenerationEU. Moreover, policy options and recommendations at EU level to prevent adverse effects of future inflation shocks on the EU budget are identified and discussed. This document was provided at the request of the BUDG Committee.

Summary : Contingent liabilities for the EU budget have grown considerably in their magnitude and their complexity and will continue to increase under the MFF 2021-2027. This paper tracks their evolution, explains the risks they might impose on the EU budget, and analyses the risk management practices to address them. We forecast total contingent liabilities will more than double by 2027, reaching EUR 612 billion. This will be driven mainly by RRF loans and, to a lesser extent, by financial support to Ukraine.

Summary : The original full study tracks the evolution of EU contingent liabilities. Contingent liabilities for the EU budget have grown considerably in their magnitude and complexity and will continue to increase under the MFF 2021-2027. We explain the risks they might impose on the EU budget and analyse risk management practices to address them. We forecast total contingent liabilities will more than double by 2027, reaching EUR 612 billion. This increase will be driven mainly by RRF loans and to a lesser extent by financial support to Ukraine.

Summary : This note describes the treaty provisions and appointment procedure for ECA members at EU level. In addition, it provides information on the national nomination procedure for the ECA member in Bulgaria and the country’s candidate.

Authors : MILICEVIC Vera

Summary : Current estimates suggest that the cost of integrating all potential candidates, excluding Turkey, would be manageable, ranging from €15.7 billion to €26 billion per year. This range reflects different assumptions and methodological choices. At its maximum, this cost represents 0.2% of the EU’s GDP and could be easily covered within the existing margin of the Own Resources ceiling. The entry of Ukraine in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) poses significant challenges. Although accession may not be imminent, the EU should begin planning for this eventuality.

Summary : The practice of mainstreaming key transformational goals will undoubtedly be carried over into the post-2027 MFF. Assessing mainstreaming means looking at longer-term results and societal impacts. To this end, defining indicators and monitoring approaches will be crucial, as reliably establishing causality is often difficult. Additional imperatives for the European Parliament will be to ensure satisfactory access to the information required and to boost its in-house capacity to analyse it.

Summary : Over the past decade, the concept of European Public Goods has become central to the EU reform debate. Genuine additional public tasks for the EU will require additional competencies and revenues. Exploring revenue niches not exploited by the Member States will not suffice: In the long term, the required doubling of the EU budget will only be achieved through genuine Own Resources in the form of surtaxes or tax shares linked to income and consumption.

Summary : The expected shift towards a performance-oriented budget presupposes a careful choice and definition of indicators clearly linked to the funding objectives, as well as standardised reporting and fully integrated and interoperable IT solutions to collect the required amount of data. Ensuring the full protection of the Union’s financial interest under performance-based budgeting will require careful balancing of auditing and control requirements with the administrative burden imposed on Member States and beneficiaries, and for the European Parliament, a form of Parliamentary Budget Office, drawing on best practices from Member States.

Summary : To reduce the need for disorderly ex-post adjustments that are largely responsible for the EU budget’s currently opaque governance structure, the long-term EU budget should be endowed with a new type of in-built flexibility. Various options are presented, which would deliver in qualitative terms, but would need to be supplemented by an “in-budget” (as opposed to off-budget) borrowing capacity.

Summary : The EU's debt stock reached EUR 547 billion by the end of September 2024 and is expected to increase by an additional EUR 448 billion under current commitments. Of this total, EUR 421 billion will ultimately finance grants, with the interest and principal repayments to be made jointly by EU countries through the EU budget. The remaining amount will finance loans to countries, which will be serviced as those countries repay their loans. The interest rate risk for the 2028-2034 MFF is expected to remain low.

Summary : The revised Financial Regulation was adopted on 23 September 2024. It significantly increases the scope of the data to be published in the Financial Transparency System (FTS). Prior to this it covered only EU budget funding under direct management but in future the FTS will include EU budget funding under indirect management and shared management starting with programmes adopted and financed under post-2027 multiannual financial frameworks. However, it is still possible that significant amounts of data will be missing from the FTS after 2027. This should be assessed and clearly explained by the Commission in future. The revised Financial Regulation does not address the presentation of data in the FTS, including the clarity, completeness and consistency of the data. Unless these issues are addressed, they will continue to limit the utility of FTS data regardless of the increased scope of the system. The FTS provides basic information and users will continue to have to check other publicly accessible EC portals and databases manually on a case by case basis to find other important information. Merging FTS data with data from these other systems, for deeper analysis, remains very challenging due to the lack of universal recipient and project identifiers, and varying levels of ‘downloadability’ on other systems. The larger volumes of data from 2028 onwards will require the use of more specialised data analytics expertise and tools.

Summary : This paper provides an overview of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s lending to Ukraine, particularly focusing on the IMF response to the Russia’s invasion of Ukraine since February 2022, given the challenging macroeconomic circumstances. If further analyses the key elements of the IMF’ Extended Fund Facility (EFF) programme for Ukraine, including the evolution of core assumptions, risks, fiscal sustainability and conditionality.

Authors : RAKIC Drazen, HANINA KATERYNA

Summary : This catalogue provides the list of publications and events prepared by Policy Department for Budgetary Affairs during the eighth legislative period (2019-2024) in the field of budgetary affairs. The first part gives an overview of the studies and briefings requested by BUDG and CONT sometimes in cooperation with the other committees. The second part lists the workshops held at the request of these committees. Short summaries describe the content of each document. The full-text versions of all documents are available online at: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/supporting-analyses.

Authors : FISCHER NIELS

Summary : This study presents an overview of the current anti-fraud architecture of the European Union, describing the composition, roles and responsibilities of the organisations involved, as well as their governance structures and forms of cooperation and coordination. On this basis, the study identifies potential risks and challenges related to the design and functioning of the architecture which can suggest further actions to improve its effectiveness and efficiency. It places a particular focus on the existing and possible future role of the European Parliament in this context.

Summary : The implementation timetable for cohesion policy is defined largely by its legislative framework. In order to be able to plan parliamentary work and exercise systematic scrutiny of policy implementation and of the Commission’s work, it is essential to have an overview of the timing of different steps in policy implementation in the coming years. This type of briefing was first published (and subsequently updated) in 2014 covering the 2014-2020 programming period. This version includes the policy actions of the 2021-27 period, while still indicating the last steps of the 2014-20 period. It includes a detailed (but non-exhaustive) timetable of policy actions in the second half of 2024, together with an overview of major actions for the remainder of the programming period, from 2025. Given its contribution to cohesion in the European Union, policy actions under the Recovery and Resilience Facility are now included in the calendar. Policy actions related to budgetary and budgetary control aspects are coloured green (for the year 2024)..

Authors : HAASE Diana