Commission’s draft of Multiannual financial framework for the period from 2021 to 2027

On 2 May 2018, the European Commission published a draft multiannual financial framework for the period from 2021 to 2027.  The Commission proposal aligns the Union budget with the political priorities reflected in the positive agenda expressed by President Jean-Claude Juncker in his speech on the state of the Union on 14. September 2016, and endorsed by EU27 leaders in Bratislava on 16 September 2016 and the Rome Declaration on 25 March 2017. The proposed budget is € 1 135 billion in commitments for the period 2021 to 2027, which corresponds to 1.11localhost of gross national of the EU27.

The proposed budget for FP9, officially to be referred as Horizon Europe, is 100 bn euro (current prizes).Although the proposed budget is € 35 billion more than the Horizon 2020 budget, it is still less than € 160 billion budget mentioned by Juncker in March 2018 or the budget proposed by the Lamy Group in the LAB-FAB-APP report. Many European universities and rectors’ conferences also expressed their belief that doubling of the budget for R&I is an absolute necessity if the EU wants to emerge as a leader in the global competition.

As for the next Erasmus program, the proposed budget is € 30 billion. The Framework Program and Erasmus + are the only programs for which the budget has not been reduced, thanks to their demonstration of the added value for the EU.

The complete proposal is available here.