Budget

The EU adopts an annual budget to cover spending on, for instance, poorer regions, infrastructure, R&D, agriculture and fisheries, as well as its administration costs. The budget represents around 1% of the wealth generated annually by member countries.

76% of budget spending is delegated to member countries. The rest goes to international or intergovernmental agencies, or is managed centrally by the EU. The Court of Auditors and the European Parliament scrutinise the previous year's spending through the discharge procedure.

The budget is made up of contributions from member countries (based on their gross national income), customs duties and a proportion of VAT receipts from each country.

The EU's multiannual financial framework (2014-2020) sets a ceiling for each category of spending which must be respected when agreeing annual budgets.

• Where does the money come from? The EU's own resources
  • EU countries' contributions to the EU's budget
  • The EU’s own resources
  • EU budget: how the own resources system is implemented
• Where does the money go? The multiannual financial framework
  • The EU’s long-term budget — efficiently delivering on priorities post-2020
  • EU multiannual financial framework (2021-2027)
  • EU Recovery Instrument NextGenerationEU
• Budget adoption and discharge
  • How is the EU budget decided?
  • Ensuring sound financial management of the EU budget
  • Reflection on the future of EU finances
  • 2021 EU budget: €164.3 billion
  • The Just Transition Fund
• Financial rules, controls and audits
  • New financial rules governing the EU budget (Financial Regulation)
  • Common rules on EU funds (2021–2027)
  • The European Court of Auditors (ECA)
  • Protecting the EU budget — rule of law
  • Interinstitutional agreement on budgetary discipline, cooperation, sound financial management and own resources
  • Model financial regulation for public–private partnership bodies
  • Framework financial regulation for decentralised regulatory agencies
• Archived summaries
  • A budget for Europe (2014-2020)
  • Commission Action Plan towards an Integrated Internal Control Framework
  • EU budget 2017: €157.88 billion
  • EU budget 2018: €160.1 billion
  • EU budget 2019
  • EU budget 2020: €168.7 billion
  • EU budget — Early Detection and Exclusion System (EDES)
  • EU budget — ensuring sound financial management
  • EU budget: how its own resources system is implemented
  • EU guarantee for European Investment Bank projects outside the EU
  • EU's own resources
  • European system of national and regional accounts in the Community
  • How the EU is spending its budget in 2015
  • How the EU is spending its budget in 2016
  • How the EU spent its budget in 2012 (discharge procedure)
  • How the European Union is spending its budget in 2014
  • Guarantee Fund for external actions
  • Harmonisation of the compilation of GNP
  • Financial perspectives system and the multiannual financial framework
  • Financial rules governing the EU budget
  • Interinstitutional agreement on budget discipline, cooperation and management
  • Multiannual EU budget (2014-2020)
  • Interinstitutional Agreement on cooperation in budgetary matters
  • Mutual administrative assistance in the fight against fraud
  • New interinstitutional agreement and financial perspective (2000-2006)
  • Results-focused review of the EU’s multiannual financial framework
  • Own resources mechanism
  • Report on the system of own resources
  • The new Financial Regulation: easier access to EU funding
  • Towards a new financial framework 2007-2013
  • The financial framework of 2000-06 (Agenda 2000)
  • The Former Financial Regulation
  • System of own resources