Social mainstreaming in the EU budget: assessment of the MFF package

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.