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Today (Wednesday 15th April) the European Parliament’s Budget Committee adopted its position on the EU’s next long-term budget (Multiannual Financial Framework for 2028-2034), calling for an overall increase of around 10% compared to the current cycle.

While framed largely as a technical and procedural reform, civil society groups have warned that the proposal confirms a continued structural shift in EU spending towards defence, internal security and migration management over investment in communities and social protection.

Under the Commission’s MFF proposal:

  • Funding for the “social model and quality of life” heading drops from roughly 65% of the budget to 45%
  • A new competitiveness, property and security heading rises to around 30% – up from 17% in the previous cycle – consolidating industrial, security and strategic autonomy spending
  • External spending under Global Europe continues a trend already visible in the current budget, where migration-related expenditure exceeded targets averaging 14% instead of the proposed 10%

At programme level, the Commission proposes €81 billion for border management, internal security, and asylum and migration funding, including €12 billion dedicated to implementation of the Pact on Migration and Asylum set to be rolled out this summer.

The Parliament’s position highlights concerns primarily around transparency following the consolidation of funding instruments, but civil society groups have called this a missed opportunity to fundamentally challenge the expansion of defence and border-management spending, which they have repeatedly warned risks further entrenching deadly migration securitisation and externalisation policies.

MEPs proposed slight increases to the European Social Fund (to €124 billion), and an increase to Migration and Border Management spending (to €38 billion) and the Connecting Europe Facility, which includes increases for military mobility, to over €90 billion. Notably, the Parliament’s report did not challenge the overall increase foreseen in the MFF in spending on defence, migration and border management. The only formal opposition came in a minority position tabled by the Left group.  

Negotiations among Member States remain highly contentious, with disagreements already emerging over the size of national contributions, repayment of post-Covid recovery debt and the future structure of agricultural and regional funds. Today’s vote marks an early step in what is expected to be a lengthy negotiation process. 

Quote Pack:

 

Sarah Chander, Director, Equinox Initiative for Racial Justice, says, “The EU’s budget is being steadily militarised, with unchecked funding assigned to the war industry in all domains. Not only does this come at the expense of social and climate funding, it redirects public funds toward arms, security and technology companies. Today the European Parliament missed a vital opportunity to challenge this in its negotiating position.”

 

Caterina Rodelli, EU Policy Analyst, Access Now, says, “The European Parliament committee confirmed the Commission technosolutionist approach to migration, greenlighting an unprecedented budget of almost 50 billion euros to migration management, which includes the expansion of the unlawful surveillance capabilities of Frontex and Europol.”

 

Josephine Solanki, Project Coordinator, Transnational Institute, says: “Today the European Parliament entrenched a misguided strategy: more military spending will not solve the EU’s overlapping social, economic, ecological, and political crises. Instead, it deepens them by fuelling wars and  a global arms race, contributing to displacement and climate destruction, and diverting vital resources from other sectors. The EU needs to reject the idea that militarisation equals security.”

 

Emilie Tricarico, Policy Officer for Post-Growth Transformations, European Environmental Bureau On the backdrop of a looming global economic shock triggered by US/Israel-led illegal wars, the European Parliament adopts a budget that will further look Europe into a deadlock of unchecked inequality, social unrest and ecological collapse. Under strict EU fiscal rules and an inflation crisis, more military spending will add greater cost of living pressures for Europeans. A true security and resilience budget for Europe is built upon strong welfare and social programs and a green & just transition.