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The third and final session of the European Citizens’ Panel on the new EU long-term budget has just finished its work. For the first time, a group of 150 randomly selected citizens from all EU- 27 member states have brought forward their ideas in over thirty “general and guiding” recommendations for the formation of a sustainable and flexible long-term EU budget.
Background
The EU’s 2021-2027 long-term budget (together with the NextGenerationEU recovery instrument) amounts to €2.018 trillion as an unprecedented response to “repair the economic and social damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic” and assist the transition towards a modern and more sustainable Europe. The “budget package” consists of the long-term budget, the 2021-2027 multi-annual financial framework, made up of €1.211 trillion, combined with the temporary recovery instrument, NextGenerationEU, of €806.9 billion.
Reference to: https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/eu-budget/long-term-eu-budget/2021-2027/whats-new_en
The European Citizens’ Panels and online citizens’ engagement tools have been embedded as a regular feature of democratic life in the EU. These panels give citizens a voice in the EU policy-making. As President von der Leyen said during her speech at the recent Annual Budget Conference, every EU-territory has a unique set of circumstances and knows best how to address them.
More in: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/SPEECH_25_1284
Regarding the functioning of the panels, citizens’ work together both in small groups of 10-15 people and collectively, with the rest of participants. Then a so-called facilitation team provided support, alongside a committee of experts who provide additional input when needed. Based on the discussions, citizens make recommendations for the European Commission to consider when defining policies and initiatives.
The Citizens’ Engagement Platform is a key part of a new ecosystem of citizen engagement, delivering upon a commitment of the follow-up communication to the Conference on the Future of Europe.
The Citizens’ Panels, and the online debates, are part of a larger effort of the European Commission to engage in a dialogue with citizens on the future of the EU budget ahead of proposing a new Multi-annual Financial Framework which is more focused on the EU’s priorities, simpler in the way it works, and more impactful through increased leverage of national, private and institutional financing. The Panel’s and platform’s work also follow on directly from the 2024-2029 political priority “Delivering together and preparing our union for the future”, which called for a new budget fit for our ambitions.
The final recommendations
The panelists agreed on a final set of 22 recommendations to the European Commission, as well as 11 guiding recommendations that function as key principles to guide the European Commissioner for Budget, Anti-Fraud and Public Administration. This diverse panel has been discussing which priorities and actions bring the most added value to Europeans through the EU Budget. The input gathered from both the Panel and the accompanying Citizens’ Engagement Platform will feed into the proposal for the next Multi-annual Financial Framework, as an annex to the legislative proposal. As such, they will be considered by the College of Commissioners, and ultimately by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union during the negotiations for the next Multi-annual Financial Framework.
Source: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_1272
The outcomes of the Citizens Panel will guide the formation of the nest long-term European budget to focus on: – ensuring environmental protection and economic success at the same time; – protecting nature and natural resources through environmental education and other measures; – reducing regional disparities through the expansion of essential infrastructures and services; – combating rural exodus through education, jobs, and housing; – meaningful and sustainable inclusion of migrants and refugees for a stronger Europe; – budget support for equal access to healthcare, medicine production, and cross-border care in the EU; – supporting mental health for all age groups through integrated EU budget actions; – strong and secure EU against digital threats; – more independent EU in the field of defense; – ensuring that all young people have the opportunity to enter the labor market under fair and decent working conditions; – supporting the development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and start-ups; – strengthening the food system by making large food companies more sustainable and support small producers; – empowering people in using digital technologies, including AI; – sovereignty of the EU in digital technologies; – promoting inclusive, high-quality education for all through targeted EU support; – fostering a common European identity through education and awareness; – simplification, harmonization and digitalisation of administrative procedures across the EU member states; – building stronger connections between citizens and the EU institutions for a better tomorrow; – developing renewable energy to secure EU-member states’ energy sovereignty; – strategic strength: Europe’s industrial response to global disruption; and – strengthening EU diplomatic alignment via shared values.
On delivering priorities in: https://commission.europa.eu/priorities-2024-2029/eu-budget-and-reform_en
More information in the following Commission’s web-links: – Citizens’ Engagement Platform; – European Citizens’ Panels; – European Citizens’ Panel on the new EU budget; – Tour d’Europe – Consulting Europeans on the EU Budget; – President von der Leyen Speech during the Annual Budget Conference 2025