Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The European Council approved the EU’s 2025 budget, totalling €199.4 billion in commitments and €155.2 billion in payments.
The European Council has endorsed the joint text on the EU’s general budget for 2025. The joint text was arranged in consultations with the European Parliament on 16 November 2024. In the next steps, the adoption of the budget will be announced by the European Parliament once it has also endorsed the joint text. The European Parliament and the Council both have 14 days to formally ratify the agreement reached on 16 November.
What are the key figures for the EU’s 2025 budget?
As reported by the EU Council, total commitments are put at €192.768,6 million and the total payments at €149.615,7 million, excluding appropriations foreseen for special instruments outside the multiannual financial framework for 2021-2027 (MFF). Moreover, €800,5 million have been kept unrestricted this year under the payment ceilings of the current MFF, allowing the EU to respond to unforeseeable conditions.
In his remarks, Péter Banai, chief Council negotiator for the 2025 EU budget said: “I’m glad we have settled on the EU’s budget for 2025. Next year’s budget will permit us to focus on the EU’s priority areas while ensuring a prudent and realistic approach to spending taxpayers’ money. We have kept enough financial margin to respond to unforeseen circumstances, taking into account the current economic and geopolitical context.”
According to the EU Council, commitments are legally binding pledges to disburse money on activities that are executed over several financial years and Payments surround expenditures stemming from commitments entered into the EU budget during the current or preceding financial years. The EU budget for 2025 amounts to € 199.438,4 million in total commitments and €155.209,3 million in total payments when including the budgets foreseen for special instruments outside the MFF.
How does the EU Council’s position compare to earlier proposals?
Earlier, the EU Commission, in its initial draft budget for 2025, formally assumed on 12 July 2024, put total commitments at €193.046,9 million and the total payments at €147.090,5 million, not counting appropriations anticipated for special instruments outside the MFF. The Council, in its position, assumed on 13 September 2024, placed the total commitments at €191.527,0 million and the total payments at €146.214,6 million, not containing appropriations foreseen for certain instruments outside the MFF.
The European Parliament, in its amendments assumed on 23 October 2024, put total commitments at €194.282,3 million and total payments at €147.895,5 million, excluding appropriations anticipated for special instruments outside the MFF. On 10 October 2024, the Commission assumed an amending letter to the draft general budget that reduces the level of commitments by €303 million and raises the level of payments by €2.657 million.
After the EU Parliament assumed its amendments to the draft budget, the Council expressed its disagreement with the Parliament’s proposals. Consequently, a discussion of the Conciliation Committee was called. Hence, the Council and the European Parliament attained an agreement on the EU’s annual budget for 2025 on 16 November 2024.
