Have your say on the next EU long-term budget
On 12 February, the European Commission published a Communication on ‘The Road to the next Multiannual Financial Framework', outlining the key policy and budgetary challenges that will shape the design of the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), EU's long-term budget. This lays the groundwork for reflections on how to adapt the EU's long-term budget to evolving needs and priorities.
A place-based perspective is crucial in the design of the next MFF and this topic will be at the heart of ERRIN’s Strategic Cluster activities in 2025, as it will play a decisive role in determining how EU funds support local and regional actors in the years ahead.
Public consultation on the next MFF
Alongside this Communication, the Commission also launched an overall public consultation to gather insights and feedback from stakeholders across the Union, including local and regional entities, on the future EU budget and the policies it should support.
The public consultations cover five specific funding areas as well as the general “performance” of the budget. They are open until 6 May 2025 and can be accessed via the following links:
- Implementing EU Funds with Member States and regions
- EU funding for competitiveness
- EU funding for external action
- EU funding for cross-border education, training and solidarity, youth, media, culture, and creative sectors, values, and civil society
- EU funding for civil protection, preparedness and response to crises
- EU funding for the single market, and cooperation between national authorities
- Performance of the EU budget
ERRIN encourages all members to participate to ensure that a place-based perspective is well represented when the EU’s future budget is being shaped. The Commission will present its formal proposal for the next MFF in July 2025, with the aim of reaching a timely agreement before its implementation in January 2028.
ERRIN's work on the next MFF
The next long-term budget is a key priority for ERRIN in 2025. On 28 January, ERRIN hosted a high-level event where five Members of the European Parliament engaged in discussion with ERRIN members on the key role of connected regional innovation ecosystems for enhancing Europe’s competitiveness. This dialogue continued at the ERRIN Strategic Cluster kick-off meeting on 6 February, where members discussed the Commission’s forthcoming competitiveness initiatives with representatives from the European Commission. Given the increasing importance of this topic, ERRIN has introduced a new competitiveness workstream under the Policy Working Group in 2025, replacing the separate Innovation and Investment Working Group.
Learn more about ERRIN's policy work here.