2027 EU budget: focus on transport, energy, research, climate and agriculture 

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament.

• Ahead of negotiations with EU governments, Parliament proposes a €194 billion overall budget for 2027
• MEPs add €1.17 billion to the Commission proposal
• Growing repayment costs for the recovery plan must not reduce funding for key programmes such as Horizon, Erasmus+ and civil protection
• Negotiations with EU governments to start in November

MEPs want a 2027 budget that reinforces the EU’s key priorities for the final year of the EU’s current long-term budget cycle.

On Wednesday, Parliament set the overall level of commitment appropriations for 2027 (legal promises to pay in the same year or later) at €194 billion, with a targeted increase of €1.17 billion compared to the Commission’s original proposal. MEPs set the overall level of payment appropriations (actual payments made to beneficiaries) at €203.3 billion. MEPs want to ensure adequate financing for Parliament’s priorities within the current budgetary constraints. Parliament also calls for financing the EU debt repayment without cutting expenditure on key EU programmes.

Research, infrastructure, health and education

To boost European competitiveness, innovation and cross-border connectivity, MEPs want to increase funding for Horizon Europe by €63 million, transport and energy networks by €260 million, and support for small and medium-sized enterprises by €31.5 million. MEPs also propose €50 million more for EU4Health, and €96 million more for Erasmus+.

Agriculture, environment and civil protection

MEPs are pushing for an increase in funding for the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund by €85 million, including €20 million more for young farmers, and an additional €85 million for the LIFE programme. To better respond to natural disasters, they want to increase funding for the Civil Protection Mechanism by €80 million.

Border management, EU’s neighbourhood and the world

To reinforce the EU’s capacity to manage migration and protect its external borders, MEPs propose increasing funding for the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund by €20 million and the Border Management and Visa Instrument by €40 million. They demand €20 million more for military mobility. Funding for the Southern Neighbourhood should increase by €60 million and by €30 million for the Eastern Neighbourhood, with an additional €40 million for humanitarian aid.

An accompanying resolution, adopted with 400 votes in favour, 189 against and 84 abstentions, summarises Parliament’s position.

More figures in the EP position are available on the Budgets Committee’s site and previous press releases.

Repayment costs for the NextGenerationEU (NGEU) and the Ukraine Support Loan

To protect key programmes while preserving the EU budget’s flexibility and capacity to respond to unforeseen challenges, MEPs argue that dedicated funding instruments should be used to cover the costs of financing NGEU and the Ukraine Support Loan without undermining established EU programmes.

Quotes

“In this exceptionally difficult moment for Europe, simply having a budget is an achievement in itself. Despite financial and geopolitical constraints and growing political fragmentation, Parliament found common ground on a budget that puts people first: students, researchers, patients, young farmers, and communities on Europe’s eastern borders. Behind every budget line where Parliament proposes more funds are real people and real needs. And the NextGenerationEU recovery debt should not be repaid at the expense of Europe’s next generation,” general rapporteur for the EU’s 2027 budget (for section III – Commission), Nils Ušakovs (S&D, LV) said.

“Budgetary discipline is non-negotiable. European taxpayers rightly expect us to use public money responsibly. We want EU institutions to run efficiently, without undermining their ability to fulfil their duties with extraordinary cuts. I am confident that we have found the right balance, by encouraging savings, efficiency and investing in new technologies such as AI and cybersecurity infrastructure. The goal is responsible spending and a European Parliament that can deliver on its democratic mandate,” rapporteur for the other sections, Michalis Hadjipantela (EPP, CY) said.

Next steps

The plenary vote on Parliament’s position on the annual EU budget launches three weeks of negotiations with the Council, which adopted its position in September 2026, for an agreement before the end of the year. The first round of talks is expected to take place on 3 November.

Background

More than 93% of the EU budget goes directly to EU programmes. The annual EU budget, which serves 27 countries and 450 million Europeans, is relatively small – on average €160-200 billion annually during 2021-27. This is comparable to the national budget of Poland, which serves 39 million people, and equivalent to 30% of the budget of Germany, which serves 84 million people. The EU budget delivers significant economic, social and political benefits despite representing just over 1% of the EU’s gross national income (GNI). (Source: Parliament and Commission)