Annual EU budgetary procedure: Introduction to the steps in the European Parliament

Written by Sidonia Mazur.

The annual EU (European Union) budget funds policies and programmes that are in line with the Union’s political priorities and legal obligations; it must also respect the ceilings set by the EU’s multiannual financial framework. The EU’s financial year starts on 1 January and ends on 31 December.

The European Parliament and the Council are the budgetary authority of the European Union. The two institutions, assisted by the European Commission, decide on the budget in the annual EU budgetary procedure.

The European Parliament amends the Council position through the work of its Committee on Budgets (BUDG) and the specialised parliamentary committees, and enables the Members of the European Parliament to modify the annual draft budget. Thereafter, Parliament adopts its position in plenary session.

The key actors in establishing Parliament’s position are: the BUDG committee and the specialised parliamentary committees, in particular the BUDG chair, the annual budget rapporteurs and their shadows, and the BUDG coordinators and budget rapporteurs in specialised committees. The European Parliament and the Council negotiate an agreement on the annual budget through trilogue meetings and conciliation.

After presenting the life cycle of an amendment to the budget and possible scenarios set out in the EU Treaties for adoption or non-adoption of the annual budget, this briefing goes on to explain differences between the Treaty calendar and the ‘pragmatic calendar’. Finally, the briefing explains what happens if there is no agreement on the EU annual budget.

Read the complete briefing on ‘Annual EU budgetary procedure: Introduction to the steps in the European Parliament‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.