The next EU long-term budget “must be ambitious.”
That is the stark message S&D Group MEPs have taken to Dublin where they will this week meet with national parliamentarians on the future of the EU budget and the ongoing discussions on the next MFF.
Ireland is the current holder of the rotating EU presidency and the S&D delegation will participate in the Inter-Parliamentary Conference on Stability, Economic Coordination and Governance in the European Union (SECG).
This takes place in Dublin on 24-25 September.
The S&D group, the 2nd biggest in the EU parliament, insists that the next long-term EU budget for 2028-2034, known in the jargon as the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), must match Europe’s ambitions with the means to deliver them.”
The S&D say it is “imperative” to introduce a new system of fresh money, called new genuine own resources for the MFF.
It states, “This is the only way out of the impossible dilemma of either lower spending or more cuts for the EU budget.”
One of the MEPs in Dublin this week for the meeting is Carla Tavares, the European Parliament co-rapporteur on the MFF 2028-2034.
On Thursday, she said: “The next EU long-term budget must be ambitious enough to protect cohesion and social investment while responding to Europe’s growing needs in defence, security, competitiveness and strategic investment.
“As the Parliament made clear in its April 2026 position on the 2028-2034 Multiannual Financial Framework, the EU needs a sustainable revenue system alongside an ambitious expenditure framework, with new genuine own resources generating at least €60 billion per year.
“The next MFF is not simply a seven-year accounting exercise. It is one of Europe’s most important political tools for delivering on the challenges ahead – including Europe’s role as a reliable global actor, at a time when our partners look to us for leadership and a vacuum left by others is all too ready to be filled. We need a budget that is ambitious, credible and equipped with the resources to deliver.
“And we need to have this conversation honestly – without putting cohesion against defence or social investment against security. Europeans expect Europe to deliver on all of these priorities.”
Further comment comes from Sandra Gómez López, European Parliament co-rapporteur on own resources for the MFF 2028-2034.
She said:”An ambitious MFF requires an ambitious and sustainable revenue system. We cannot continue to place the overwhelming burden of financing Europe’s common priorities on national contributions, calculated on the basis of Gross National Income (GNI), while leaving the potential of genuine own resources untapped.”
She continues, “A more diversified revenue system would give the EU greater financial stability while reducing pressure on national budgets.
“This is why the Parliament supports the Commission’s basket approach and why we must be ready to consider additional sources where necessary.”
The MEP added, “A digital services levy on major platforms, a levy on online gambling and betting, and an own resource based on crypto-asset capital gains could together provide a substantial additional revenue stream, while making our financing system better aligned with the realities of today’s economy.
“These are not simply new charges: they are an opportunity to modernise the way we finance the European Union and ensure that those benefiting from the Single Market contribute fairly to its future,” said the Euro deputy.
