European Parliamentary Research Service Blog
EU Financing / Budgetary Affairs
How the Budget is spent: Horizon 2020
Horizon 2020 – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2014-2020) – is the successor to seven previous framework programmes. With a budget of over €70 billion, it is unique in the world, not only in terms of budget, but also duration and scope. Continue reading
How the Budget is spent: Youth Employment Initiative
The Youth Employment Initiative (YEI), with an initial financial envelope of €3.2 billion for 2014-2015, is the main EU funding programme of this political commitment. Its objective is the fight against youth unemployment in the worst-affected EU regions by supporting young people not in education, employment or training (NEETs) in regions with a youth unemployment rate above 25 %. Continue reading
How the EU budget is spent: Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation
With a 2014-2020 budget of €225.3 million (0.02 % of the 2014-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework), the current INSC promotes a high level of nuclear safety, radiation protection, and safeguards for nuclear material outside the EU, from Argentina to Mongolia. Continue reading
Structural funds – Investing in people [What is Europe doing for its citizens?]
Written by Christiaan van Lierop, Accounting for over one third of the EU’s budget, structural funds (ESIF) have helped to transform Europe. From motorways to wind farms, airports to urban regeneration schemes, structural fund investments are a tangible expression of the EU’s promise to develop infrastructure and generate economic growth. Yet beyond these very visible … Continue reading
2014-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF): Mid-term revision [EU Legislation in Progress]
Written by Alessandro D’Alfonso (3rd edition), The Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) sets the maximum level of resources (‘ceiling’) for each major category of EU spending for the years 2014-2020. Based on the compulsory mid-term review of the MFF, the European Commission proposes to modify the flexibility provisions and special instruments of the MFF Regulation. The … Continue reading
How the EU budget is spent: European Maritime and Fisheries Fund
Written by Magdalena Sapala, Jean Weissenberger, The €6 396.6 million European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) may be the smallest of the European Structural and Investment Funds for the 2014-2020 period, but it is the principal financial tool supporting the EU common fisheries policy (CFP). Governed by Regulation 508/2014, (the EMFF Regulation), the Fund aims at providing the … Continue reading
How the EU budget is spent: Macro-financial assistance
Written by Ana Claudia Alfieri, One important European Union (EU) objective is to achieve macroeconomic and political stability in its neighbourhood by ‘developing a zone of shared stability, security, and prosperity’ through a set of policies that help to bring candidate, potential candidate, and neighbourhood countries closer to the EU. One of these policies is … Continue reading
The Brexit negotiations: Issues for the first phase
Written by Alessandro D’Alfonso, Eva-Maria Poptcheva, James McEldowney and Laura Tilindyte, Negotiations on the arrangements for the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union started on 19 June 2017. The European Commission is negotiating on behalf of the EU, on the basis of the European Council’s guidelines and the subsequent mandate from the Council. The … Continue reading
Smart Borders: EU Entry/Exit System [EU Legislation in Progress]
Written by Anita Orav and Alessandro D’Alfonso (2nd edition), In anticipation of increased traveller flows and in response to security concerns regarding the control of EU external borders, on 6 April 2016, the Commission presented a revised proposal for establishing an Entry/Exit System for recording the border-crossings of all non-EU nationals. It builds on the … Continue reading
How the EU budget is spent: Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA II)
Written by Martin Svasek, The Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) supports countries that are candidates or potential candidates for EU membership. The support goes towards measures aiming at adopting and implementing the political, institutional, legal, administrative, social and economic reforms required to comply with the Union’s values and to align progressively with the Union’s rules, … Continue reading
Revision of EU financial rules [EU Legislation in Progress]
Written by Rafał Mańko (1st edition), In September 2016, the Commission tabled a proposal for a new Financial Regulation which would replace the current one (together with its Rules of Application), as well as amend 14 other sectoral regulations and a decision each also containing financial rules. The Commission justifies its proposal by the need … Continue reading
How the EU budget is spent: Nuclear decommissioning assistance
Written by Gianluca Sgueo and Matthew Parry, In the early 1990s, in the wake of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, the EU began providing financial and technical assistance to partner countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia via the TACIS and PHARE programmes. In 1999, the EU launched three nuclear decommissioning assistance programmes (NDAP) specifically to … Continue reading
How the EU budget is spent: Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace
Written by Alina Dobreva with Philipp Wegner, The EU contributes to the prevention of emerging crises and to an effective response to existing ones through the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP), launched in 2014. The instrument provides funds for conflict prevention, ensuring capacity and preparedness to address pre- and post-crisis situations and peacebuilding. … Continue reading
How the EU budget is spent: European Social Fund
Written by Martin Svášek, The European Social Fund (ESF) was established by the Treaty of Rome in 1957 and is the oldest EU structural fund still in place. Originally designed to improve employment opportunities for workers in the internal market, the fund aims at raising living standards. For the current 2014-2020 programming period, Regulation (EU) … Continue reading
How the EU budget is spent: Justice Programme (2014-2020)
Written by Rafał Mańko, EU law is applied on a daily basis by national judges in the Member States, who rely on assistance from the EU Court of Justice only in the most complicated cases. Judges otherwise interpret and apply EU law on their own. In the European area of freedom, security and justice, national … Continue reading
Economic and budgetary outlook for the European Union 2017
Written by Alessandro D’Alfonso, Angelos Delivorias, Magdalena Sapała and Andrej Stuchlik , This study presents the 2017 economic and budgetary outlook for the European Union, explores the most recent developments in EU budgetary negotiations, and focuses on the investment gap in the EU, as a major economic challenge for the Union. In 2016, the EU … Continue reading
Ten issues to watch in 2017
Written by Etienne Bassot, This is the first edition of a new EPRS publication designed to identify key issues and policy areas that are likely to feature prominently on the agenda of Members of the European Parliament over the coming year. The ten issues raised in this publication include both internal EU policy areas, and … Continue reading
EU budget reform [What Think Tanks are thinking]
Written by Marcin Grajewski, A long-running discussion on reforming the European Union’s budget gained momentum when the High-Level Group on Own Resources, led by former Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti, presented its report in January 2017. The report proposes simpler methods for funding the EU, to make it less reliant on direct contributions from Member … Continue reading
How the EU budget is spent: EU Aid Volunteers initiative
Written by Alina Dobreva with Philipp Wegner, Volunteering brings practical relief to communities hit by natural or man-made disasters. It also raises volunteers’ awareness and strengthens their sense of solidarity with victims, and helps them to acquire professional skills and experience. The EU Aid Volunteers initiative (EUAV) promotes volunteering among young Europeans, breaking down the … Continue reading
How the EU budget is spent: Erasmus+
Written by Sidonia Mazur, Denise Chircop; Graphics by Christian Dietrich. Erasmus+ is the European Union’s single programme encompassing action in the fields of education, training, youth and sport for the years 2014-2020 with a financial envelope just below €15 000 million. Erasmus+ comes under the budgetary heading ‘Smart and Inclusive Growth’. The programme finances learning mobility for … Continue reading
