On Saturday, negotiators from the European Parliament and the Council reached a provisional agreement on the European Union’s budget for 2026. The deal was made before the end of the conciliation period.
The agreed figures set commitment appropriations at €192.8 billion and payment appropriations at €190.1 billion. This restores €1.3 billion that EU governments had previously cut, bringing it back to levels proposed by the European Commission.
Members of Parliament secured an extra €372.7 million in funding beyond what was initially suggested by the Commission. These funds will go towards programmes focused on research, competitiveness, security, and support for agriculture and infrastructure.
Funding for Horizon Europe, which supports research and innovation, will rise by €20 million. Transport and energy networks are allocated an additional €23.5 million to help with competitiveness and job creation across borders. The Erasmus+ programme receives a further €3 million to strengthen educational opportunities.
Environmental initiatives also see increased support: the LIFE programme gains another €10 million, while EU4Health gets an extra €3 million. Measures promoting agricultural products under the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund are boosted by €105 million due to higher-than-expected revenues and carried-over funds.
To improve disaster response capabilities amid more frequent natural disasters, Parliament added €10 million each to both the Civil Protection Mechanism (RescEU) and military mobility projects within Europe’s defence framework. Border management is reinforced with another €10 million.
Given rising geopolitical tensions and global crises, humanitarian aid will increase by €35 million; support for the EU’s Southern Neighbourhood grows by another €35 million, while funding for the Eastern Neighbourhood increases by €25 million.
The EU faces higher than expected borrowing costs—an overrun of about €4.2 billion—for its NextGenerationEU recovery package in 2026, which is twice as much as originally forecasted by the Commission. Parliament ensured these overruns would not lead to cuts in key programmes such as Erasmus+ or EU4Health; instead, costs will be managed through an agreed “cascade mechanism” intended to protect flagship initiatives.
Johan Van Overtveldt (ECR, BE), chair of the Committee on Budgets said: “At the heart of the EU budget are the needs of its citizens: prosperity, security and solidarity. The EU delivers on research, border security, military mobility, cybersecurity and Erasmus+, while working to strengthen our single market. We live in turbulent times, with rising expectations and increasing demands on the EU budget. As citizens’ priorities evolve, it’s essential for the Parliament and EU institutions to listen and respond effectively. Progress is being made, but the budget alone will only get us so far. Continued effort and further steps will be needed to enhance competitiveness.”
Andrzej Halicki (EPP, PL), general rapporteur for section III – Commission – stated: “Thanks to a strong European Parliament position and broad support across political groups, we secured an agreement on key priorities. This includes enhanced security for our citizens, in particular reinforced border management and military mobility, strengthened food security and health, and new opportunities for businesses, farmers,and young people with additional support for Horizon Europe research initiatives,the promotion of agricultural products,and a strengthened Erasmus+ programme.”
Matjaž Nemec (S&D , SI), rapporteur for other sections added: “I welcome today’s budgetary agreement ,which is firmly grounded in Parliament’s prioritiesand strengthens Europe’s capacityto act.By increasing supportfor cybersecurityandthe ruleof law,we equip keyEU institutionswith greater resilienceand accountability ,while safeguardingour shared values.Thisbudgetalso shows thatwe remain attentiveto citizens’ needsand committedto ensuringthat Union functionsefficiently.”
The next step involves formal adoption of this compromise text by Council.The Committeeon Budgets will discuss it next Thursday(20 November). It is then scheduled fora plenary vote duringthe November sessionin Strasbourg beforebecominglaw upon signaturebythe Presidentofthe EuropeanParliament .
According tothe EuropeanCommission ,over93%ofEU budgetspending goesdirectly into programmessupportingpeopleandprojectsacross member states .The annualbudget serves27 countriesand450million Europeans ;it averages between€160–200billion during2021–27—a scale comparabletothe nationalbudgetofPoland or about30%ofGermany’s nationalbudget .
