FULLY BOOKED

The European Union is currently negotiating its next multiannual financial framework (MFF) for 2021-2017. The outcome of these negotiations determines the capacity of the EU to deliver on the strategic agenda and priorities put forward by the European Council and the European Commission for the coming years.

As a branch of the EU’s budgetary authority, the European Parliament will play a key role in shaping this framework. But these negotiations are far from over. In December, the negotiating box put forward by the Finnish presidency was criticised for a variety of reasons, highlighting the difficulty of reaching a conclusion even within just one institution.
And the longer negotiations continue, the longer the potential delay of the Commission’s implementation of its work programme from early 2021 onwards.

Johan Van Overtveldt, chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Budgets, will present his perspective on the state of play at this juncture and the future shape of negotiations, including the challenges and opportunities of finalising the MFF.

(Photo credit: European Parliament)