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P9_TA(2024)0157 – Guidelines for the 2025 Budget - Section III – European Parliament resolution of 13 March 2024 on general guidelines for the preparation of the 2025 budget, Section III – Commission (2023/2220(BUI))

OJ C, C/2024/6579, 12.11.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2024/6579/oj (BG, ES, CS, DA, DE, ET, EL, EN, FR, GA, HR, IT, LV, LT, HU, MT, NL, PL, PT, RO, SK, SL, FI, SV)

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C/2024/6579

12.11.2024

P9_TA(2024)0157

Guidelines for the 2025 Budget - Section III

European Parliament resolution of 13 March 2024 on general guidelines for the preparation of the 2025 budget, Section III – Commission (2023/2220(BUI))

(C/2024/6579)

The European Parliament,

—	having regard to Article 314 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

—	having regard to Article 106a of the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community,

—	having regard to the revised Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/765 of 29 February 2024 amending Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2020/2093 laying down the multiannual financial framework for the years 2021 to 2027 (1) (MFF Revision),

—	having regard to Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2022/2496 of 15 December 2022 amending Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2020/2093 laying down the multiannual financial framework for the years 2021 to 2027 (2),

—	having regard to its position of 16 December 2020 on the draft Council regulation laying down the multiannual financial framework for the years 2021 to 2027 (3),

—

having regard to Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2020/2093 of 17 December 2020 laying down the multiannual financial framework for the years 2021-2027 (4) and to the joint declarations agreed between Parliament, the Council and the Commission in this context (5) and the related unilateral declarations (6),

—	having regard to its interim report on the proposal for a mid-term revision of the multiannual financial framework 2021-2027 (7),

—	having regard to its resolution of 27 February 2024 on the draft Council regulation amending Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2020/2093 laying down the multiannual financial framework for the years 2021 to 2027 (8),

—	having regard to its resolution of 10 May 2023 on the impact on the 2024 EU budget of increasing European Union Recovery Instrument borrowing costs (9),

—	having regard to its resolution of 15 December 2022 on upscaling the 2021-2027 multiannual financial framework: a resilient EU budget fit for new challenges (10),

—	having regard to the Commission proposal of 16 May 2022 for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union (COM(2022)0223),

—

having regard to the Interinstitutional Agreement of 16 December 2020 between the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission on budgetary discipline, on cooperation in budgetary matters and on sound financial management, as well as on new own resources, including a roadmap towards the introduction of new own resources (11),

—	having regard to Council Decision (EU, Euratom) 2020/2053 of 14 December 2020 on the system of own resources of the European Union (12),

—	having regard to the Commission proposal of 22 December 2021 for a Council decision amending Decision (EU, Euratom) 2020/2053 on the system of own resources of the European Union (COM(2021)0570) and its position of 23 November 2022 on the proposal (13),

—	having regard to Council Regulation (EU) 2020/2094 of 14 December 2020 establishing a European Union Recovery Instrument to support the recovery in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis (14),

—	having regard to Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2020/2092 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2020 on a general regime of conditionality for the protection of the Union budget (15),

—	having regard to the Commission communication of 11 December 2019 entitled ‘The European Green Deal’ (COM(2019)0640) and its resolution of 15 January 2020 responding to it (16),

—	having regard to Regulation (EU) 2021/1119 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 June 2021 establishing the framework for achieving climate neutrality and amending Regulations (EC) No 401/2009 and (EU) 2018/1999 (European Climate Law),

—	having regard to the Agreement adopted at the 21st Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP21) in Paris on 12 December 2015 (the Paris Agreement),

—

having regard to the Interinstitutional Proclamation on the European Pillar of Social Rights of 13 December 2017 (17) and its resolution of 19 January 2017 thereon (18), to the Commission Action Plan of 4 March 2021 on the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights and to the Porto declaration on social affairs adopted by the members of the European Council in May 2021,

—	having regard to the EU gender equality strategy 2020-2025,

—	having regard to the special report of the European Court of Auditors ‘Gender mainstreaming in the EU budget: time to turn words into action’ 2021,

—	having regard to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals,

—	having regard to the Commission communication of 1 February 2023 entitled ‘A Green Deal Industrial Plan for the Net-Zero Age’ (COM(2023)0062),

—

having regard to Regulation (EU) 2024/795 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 February 2024 establishing the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP), and amending Directive 2003/87/EC and Regulations (EU) 2021/1058, (EU) 2021/1056, (EU) 2021/1057, (EU) No 1303/2013, (EU) No 223/2014, (EU) 2021/1060, (EU) 2021/523, (EU) 2021/695, (EU) 2021/697 and (EU) 2021/241 (19),

—	having regard to Regulation (EU) 2024/792 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 February 2024 establishing the Ukraine Facility (20),

—	having regard to the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2024 (21) and the joint statements agreed between Parliament, the Council and the Commission annexed hereto,

—	having regard to the Council conclusions of 12 March 2024 on the 2025 budget guidelines (6195/2024),

—	having regard to Rule 93 of its Rules of Procedure,

—

having regard to the letters from the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Development, the Committee on Budgetary Control, the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, the Committee on Transport and Tourism, the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, the Committee on Culture and Education, the Committee on Constitutional Affairs and the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality,

—	having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgets (A9-0068/2024),

A people-centred EU budget 2025: Investments tailored to improving people’s lives and boosting the Union’s competitiveness

Is adamant that, in times of geopolitical and institutional change, financial pressure, climate change and societal challenges, a reliable, robust, flexible, investment oriented EU budget remain instrumental for the implementation of the Union’s policies and central in responding to people’s increasing needs, leaving no-one behind through the green and digital transitions, in delivering prosperity and security for people and in boosting the competitiveness of the EU economy;

Highlights the difficult circumstances of the 2025 budget procedure, which is taking place at a moment of high international tensions and uncertainties, and in an election year when Parliament and the Commission will have to manage the transition of the legislature; is fully aware of the severe yet unavoidable calendar constraints and calls on all actors to take them duly into account with a constructive mindset;

Deeply regrets the fact that the Council did not succeed in reaching an agreement on the revision of the multiannual financial framework (MFF) before the end of 2023; notes, therefore, that it had to launch the budgetary procedure in the absence of certainty on several crucial elements in the financial programming for 2025, and is keenly aware of the regrettably very tight, and, in some instances, negative margins under the MFF ceilings;

Considers the outcome of the MFF revision to be below the initial aspirations of the EP; underscores that a revision of the MFF regulation is an essential prerequisite for ensuring medium-term financial support to Ukraine, for enabling increased funding for targeted policy priorities, including the promotion of the EU’s strategic autonomy, and for safeguarding Union programmes and the budget’s flexibility in the light of higher-than-forecast interest rates and therefore higher-than-programmed Union borrowing costs; notes that the 2025 annual budgetary procedure will be the first exercise based entirely on the revised MFF regulation;

Recalls that the Joint Declaration agreed by the three institutions as part of the 2020 MFF agreement, whereby expenditure to cover NGEU financing costs ‘shall aim at not reducing programmes and funds’, still applies and serves as a reference point for the budgetary authority, notably for mobilising the EURI instrument to cover at least part of the NGEU borrowing cost shortfall; intends, therefore, to ensure that all programmes are properly resourced and the budget’s flexibility and response capacity maintained throughout the annual budgetary procedure; insists on the need for the Commission to provide reliable, timely and accurate information on NGEU borrowing costs and on expected Recovery and Resilience Facility disbursements throughout the budgetary procedure;

Calls on Council and Commission to apply Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2020/2092 on a general regime of conditionality for the protection of the Union budget in full; stresses in particular that compliance with the rule of law is a fundamental pre-requisite to access EU funds; stresses that funds cannot be disbursed if Member States do not comply with all relevant requirements; reiterates that systemic issues with the rule of law, such as the violation of the principle of separation of powers or recent attempts in some Member States to attack the independence of the judiciary constitute clear risks to the financial interests of the EU and the protection of the EU Budget and calls on the Commission to allow no backsliding on achievements in the area of rule of law; reiterates its call on the Commission to ensure as a matter of urgency that suspended EU funds reach citizens, businesses, regional and local authorities, non-governmental organisations and any other relevant stakeholders via local governments and civil society organisations, in accordance with the Rule of Law Conditionality mechanism;

Underlines that repayment of the European Union Recovery Instrument (EURI) borrowing costs is a legal obligation for the EU and a non-discretionary expenditure item in the EU budget; notes that borrowing costs depend on the pace of disbursements under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) as well as on market fluctuations in bond yields and are therefore inherently unpredictable and volatile; reiterates its position that EURI borrowing costs should have been placed fully in a EURI special instrument over and above the MFF ceilings with a view to restoring some margin within Heading 2b and protecting budgetary space in the Flexibility and Single Margin Instruments; will strive to ensure that the application of the EURI cascade mechanism in the revised MFF will not result in arrangements that cause undue collateral damage to programmed expenditure or availabilities under the non-thematic special instruments;

Recalls that the European economy is forecast (22) to grow very modestly (0.9 % in 2024 and 1.7 % in 2025), while inflation is expected to remain substantially above the 2 % which is used as an automatic deflator for the MFF (3.0 % in 2024 and 2.5 % in 2025); acknowledges that this means continued loss of purchasing power for a budget which must remain in balance and which is capped by absolute amounts; highlights the very low call rate for the Gross National Income (GNI)-based own resource in recent years (0.46 % in the draft budget 2024), as a result of the combined effect of inflation, low levels of payment appropriations and higher income from some other own resources; recalls its position that rebates and other correction mechanisms should be permanently abolished and that, until their permanent abolition, gross reductions to GNI-based national contributions should be subject to a fixed deflator of up to 2 % per year;

Deplores the absence of progress in the Council on the reform of the own resources system; recalls its position on the amended Commission proposals, which endorses the introduction of new own resources; considers that the introduction of fresh genuine revenue sources, in line with the roadmap in the interinstitutional agreement, would serve to cover the additional budgetary burden arising from NextGenerationEU borrowing and would thereby shield the margins and flexibility mechanisms, which in turn would facilitate budgetary decision-making on unforeseen needs as well as new strategic foresight initiatives; urges, furthermore, the Commission to continue the efforts to identify fresh, new and preferably genuine own resources and other revenue sources for the EU budget beyond the IIA;

10.

Regrets the fact that the capacity to respond to unforeseen events or to launch new initiatives is severely affected by budgetary scarcities and intends to rectify this situation to the extent possible and also taking account of the increased expectations by EU citizens; recalls that it is necessary to establish an additional special instrument over and above the MFF ceilings so that the EU budget can better adapt and quickly react to crises and their social and economic effects;

11.

Is determined, despite these numerous constraints, to maintain a coherent and unified position which reflects its established policy priorities and institutional interests, including boosting the Union’s competitiveness, reducing strategic dependencies, accelerating clean energy deployment, ensuring the achievement of the Union’s climate and biodiversity mainstreaming targets, enhancing its security and defence capabilities as well as contributing to the green and digital transitions while minimising negative impacts on flagship programmes and maximising the spill-over benefits of economic growth for all people in the EU;

An equitable, fair and inclusive budget that offers better opportunities to all EU citizens and ensures economic growth

12.

Observes that affordable living and societal cohesion continue to be persistent challenges across EU Member States and their regions and recalls the role of high quality and accessible public services in this regard; wishes to accentuate inclusiveness and accessibility to funding wherever appropriate and in accordance with pertinent eligibility criteria, and maximise funding possibilities by leveraging existing funds; considers that the social dimension of EU spending, as a necessary feature for its legitimacy, should continue to be a cross-cutting criterion for all policy areas;

13.

Underlines that the EU budget is above all an investment budget with leverage effect, able to boost the Union’s objectives and policymaking, complementing national policies and, thereby, responding to the needs of all people in the EU; recalls the importance of the Recovery and Resilience Facility in increasing the resilience of the Union and mitigating the socio-economic impacts of the past and ongoing crises; believes that no effort should be spared to ensure that these two major sources of EU funding are spent effectively and without further delay;

14.

Is firmly determined to use the EU budget to make a tangible and visible difference to citizens, to the economy in the single market and for achieving the objectives of the Green Deal by supporting quality job creation in cutting-edge industries, future-proofing the labour market through skills development and talent booster schemes, fighting unemployment, enhancing European competitiveness and increasing the Union’s defence readiness; considers that technological autonomy and sustainable growth are key to reaching the Union’s long term energy and climate objectives; reiterates its call to maintain adequate funding to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as the backbone of the European economy, start-ups and young people, farmers, teachers and transport workers; underlines the need to further improve the energy and transport infrastructure, invest in upgrading public health and welfare services, social and territorial cohesion and inclusion, and in supporting vulnerable, remote and rural communities including smart villages; points out that the budget needs to ensure the green transition while supporting quality agriculture, ensuring access to quality health and education;

15.

Stresses the significant impact of research and innovation on competitiveness, long-term growth and employment in the European Union; recalls the long-standing initiative to push EU research & development investment intensity to 3 % of GDP; recognises the existing gap between the objective and the actual funding provided; underlines that European technology leadership is essential to implement the Green Deal and the Health Union as it creates high-skilled jobs in the Union along the entire value chain, and strengthens excellence of research and innovation within the Union; is deeply concerned that the funds available only cover a fraction of all applications submitted, resulting in high levels of oversubscription of programmes and researchers leaving the Union for competing regions;

16.

Stresses that sustainable and long-term solutions must be provided in order to successfully fight structural demographic challenges, as well as to mitigate brain drain in less developed regions and cities of the EU; emphasises the need for financial resources to revitalise regions suffering from population decline through investments in social and demographic policies that support families and to provide ageing populations in Europe with adequate support in terms of access to healthcare, mobility and public services;

17.

Insists that a maximum of possible funding should be mobilised through Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps to promote learning and entrepreneurship and to improve young people’s skills, formal, non-formal and informal education as well as employability, as well as promoting social inclusion; reiterates the need to ensure that both programmes guarantee equal opportunities, with a special focus on people from disadvantaged backgrounds across the EU and associated countries; maintains its view that mobility grants in Erasmus+ must be further supported in order to cover the increases in living costs and to ensure accessibility, equal opportunity and inclusive participation in particular by increasing the minimum grant per participant to an appropriate level;

18.

Underlines the importance of implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights and calls on the Commission to start reflections on a methodology for tracking social expenditure in the EU budget under the next programming period; highlights the crucial role of the EU budget in contributing to initiatives that reinforce social dialogue and strengthen local and regional social actions and provide access for all to vital key services; reiterates the need for a European strategy for elderly people, with specific actions to combat marginalisation, loneliness and isolation; recalls, furthermore the need for full implementation of the strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities 2021-2030 to improve their living conditions in the Union; highlights the case of European hauliers that are confronted with different challenges in each Member State, from rising costs to capacity shortages, and the need for flexibility and better working conditions; stresses the need to reinforce existing rules for their protection and allocate additional resources to monitor working conditions across the Member States; underlines in this regard the benefits of developing IT-tools at EU-level that help improve the implementation of bureaucratic requirements and the standardisation of certificates;

19.

Calls on the Commission and the Member States to allocate adequate resources for the effective implementation of EU rules on social security coordination in order to facilitate labour mobility and easier transfer of social security benefits; calls for EU funds to be used to develop the Electronic Exchange of Social Security Information system and to support further digitalisation of the social security systems for fair labour mobility;

20.

Acknowledges that technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are rapidly changing the employment landscape; highlights the economic potential human-centred trustworthy AI technologies can bring to Europe’s economic growth while improving the lives of citizens in a number of areas such as health, agriculture, energy, transport and security; calls for this to be reflected in EU programmes and policies through the allocation of adequate financial resources; stresses the need to improve basic digital skills of the citizens to match the needs of companies and to equip the citizens against disinformation; supports the EU measures complementing the national employment strategies for job reconversion and mobility at EU level in a coordinated way, embracing the potential of these changes for a thriving, adaptable workforce including via fostering job reskilling and mobility, thereby ensuring a smooth transition into new and emerging job sectors;

21.

Is alarmed by the increasing number of extreme weather events, such as severe fires, floods and other natural disasters linked to the worsening climate change throughout Europe; highlights, therefore, the need to ensure sufficient funding for the EU civil protection mechanism and calls for a better consolidation of the EU’s emergency response capacities by strengthening the joint medical and emergency intervention teams; calls on the Commission to ensure that resources can also be made available swiftly through the EUSF and the EAR;

22.

Underlines the importance of appropriate funding to be allocated to the activities laid down in the EU4Health Regulation; acknowledges that the price of medicines and health technologies has a major impact on patients’ ability to access them; stresses that unaffordable medicine costs represent a real barrier to treatment and calls for the implementation of specific measures to tackle these challenges; calls in this respect for better coordination at EU level and joint procurement of medicines in order to reduce costs; underlines the importance of tackling child diseases with special focus on rare diseases;; stresses, in particular, the importance of the Beating Cancer Plan; calls for an ambitious budget for Cluster Health in Horizon Europe to ensure that the EU can respond effectively to future health crises, help strengthen health systems and improve people’s physical and mental health by making healthcare more affordable and accessible; acknowledges that cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death in the EU; considers that addressing CVDs by investing in actions targeted at personalised medicine and eHealth is key as this will increase prevention and treatment standards, and allow all citizens equal access to healthcare; underlines the need to prevent medicine shortages faced in some member states in the recent years; recognises that health inequalities need to be reduced to provide equitable health for all women, including access to sexual and reproductive health, and reminds that it is essential for women’s health to remain a policy and research priority;

23.

Recalls the need to tackle the skills deficit, the issue of brain drain and the correlation between market needs and skills, not least in the perspective of the situation in different EU regions; considers that for the EU workforce to remain competitive in the future, defining key areas for training and reskilling is necessary, especially for the promotion of green and digital skills; stresses further investment is required to modernise the Union’s education systems, create talent booster schemes and incentivise young entrepreneurs; calls for the implementation of the European Year of Skills and the European Education Area to be accelerated; calls on the Commission to rapidly implement the solutions identified as key during the European Year of Skills, highlighting the need for better cooperation with companies, including the EU youth test and banning unpaid internships; following the recommendations adopted in the Conference on the Future of Europe, recalls the importance of establishing a European education plan with financial resources to support quality education and teacher training, and to reduce early school dropout rates;

24.

Underlines the added value of funding programmes in the areas of democracy and rights and values recalls the importance that the EU budget plays in the promotion of European values enshrined in Article 2 TEU, culture and citizens’ rights and building resilient societies, and supporting the key principles of democracy, rule of law, solidarity, inclusiveness, justice, non-discrimination and equality including gender equality; wishes to see the relevant budget lines and bodies strengthened in order to address polarisation, the rise of political extremism, low institutional trust, foster participatory democracy, promote fundamental rights, prevent democratic backsliding, the erosion of the rule of law, the shrinking space for civil society organisations working in this area at local, national and Union levels and the instrumentalisation of Euroscepticism; calls for ensuring sufficient EU funds for the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) Programme, emphasises the valuable work carried out under the Union Values strand, which provides direct funding to civil society organisations, as well as the Daphne and Equality and Rights; reiterates that the necessary resources should be devoted to fighting gender-based violence and to supporting rights and access to safe sexual and reproductive health services, to women’s rights organisations, as well as EU initiatives and bodies tackling discrimination against women; calls on the Commission to facilitate access to the CERV programme as well as to guarantee the flexibility in the re-granting process to local and grassroots organisations by operators in the Member States, in order to ensure that funding reaches those working closest with the citizens;

25.

Calls on the Commission to increase the Union’s support to protect citizens, minorities and religious communities and public spaces against terrorist threats, to fight against radicalisation and terrorist content online, and to counter the spike in hate speech, antisemitism, anti-Muslim hatred and racism across Europe and worldwide;

26.

Highlights the ever-increasing threats and dangers of organised and targeted disinformation campaigns against the European Union by foreign stakeholders; requests funding for Horizon Europe and activities under the management of the Commission and the EEAS to fight the spread of disinformation at a large scale and develop more effective countermeasures; calls on the Union and Member States to use EU funds for activities dedicated to increasing media literacy among citizens; calls for increased funding to counter hate speech and terrorist content online; underlines the need to strengthen journalistic freedom and media pluralism through adequate resources, in line with relevant regulations, and to support journalists, including investigative journalists, human rights defenders and members of civil society faced with retaliatory actions such as strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs); calls for adequate support to the cultural sector, including for the promotion of the cross-border circulation of European films, music and video games; calls, therefore, for increased financing for the Creative Europe programme;

A budget that delivers on strategic priorities

27.

Stresses the importance of reducing the Union’s strategic dependencies in key sectors; welcomes the new STEP regulation but points out the need for a structural answer to the investment needs of strategic industries in order to make it easier to identify, develop and scale up breakthrough technologies; regrets that the existing level of Horizon Europe funding is insufficient in this regard and calls for increased funding for Horizon Europe and other key Union programmes in this field, such as InvestEU, to deliver on the goal of open strategic autonomy; considers that the EU’s dependency in the supply of resources represents a growing concern; calls for further EU investment in building its open strategic autonomy by securing the acceleration of renewable energy, faster permitting processes, the decarbonisation of buildings, access to critical raw materials and developing resilient value chains for EU industrial ecosystems especially in key fields such as health and defence; requests adequate funding to ensure the continuous development of the current European flagship programmes in the space sector, including Copernicus, Galileo/EGNOS, the European initiative in satellite communication (GOVSATCOM) and on Space Situational Awareness (SSA);

28.

Maintains that the digital transition offers a host of opportunities to improve digital infrastructure and connectivity and to develop digital skills; points to the importance of the Digital Europe programme (DEP) and the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF-Digital) as well as the Digital Education Action Plan in this respect; reiterates the need for an AI, coding and robotics education programme designed for teachers and learners, and financed through the relevant programmes; underlines that the EU budget must adequately support the ethical and non-discriminatory use of AI, especially in the education and cultural sectors; recalls the need for EU-funded programmes to further invest in improving digital literacy in society and closing the digital gap, including the digital gender gap, in education and lifelong learning;

29.

Underlines the central role of the EU budget in delivering on the European Green Deal and tackling climate change by reducing emissions, increasing the use of renewable energy, creating a circular economy, protecting ecosystems and reversing the alarming trend of biodiversity loss, while safeguarding competitiveness and creating green jobs as well as growth within the EU; underlines the central role that the LIFE programme plays in delivering on the European Green Deal, achieving the Union’s climate neutrality goal, in line with the EU Climate Law and the Paris Agreement; is deeply concerned by the serious impacts of climate change including in the form of water scarcity;

30.

Underlines that concerns about security of energy supply and high energy prices make the issue of energy poverty a crucial one and pose challenges for the European industry, in particular SMEs; in this regard, stresses the need to boost EU investments for the ongoing EU transition to climate neutrality, including for energy efficiency, research and innovation in sustainable low carbon and carbon-free technologies, and in particular in areas with positive impact on reducing the costs of living for households such as improving the energy efficiency for buildings, and deploying renewable energy sources; takes note of the massive investment needs for decarbonisation of transport and continued rise of the construction and raw material prices; recognises the strategic value of the extension of the TEN-T towards the eastern neighbourhood and stronger connectivity with the EU’s strategic partners; highlights the importance of the CEF-Transport programme and its positive role for achieving the Green Deal objectives and the clean energy transition;

31.

Underscores that the 2025 budget must be aligned with the Union's policy objectives and international commitments; stresses the need for continuous work to achieve the climate and biodiversity mainstreaming targets for Union budget spending laid down in the IIA, as part of the broader aim of making the Union climate-neutral by 2050 at the latest; recalls the provision in the IIA to identify relevant measures to be taken in case the periodic stock taking indicates insufficient progress towards achieving applicable targets; is concerned by the Commission’s assessment that the 10 % target for biodiversity-related spending in 2026 and 2027 will most likely not be reached and by the absence of a clear path towards reaching the agreed targets; calls on the Commission to monitor the implementation of the ‘do no significant harm’ principle and to take necessary corrective measures when necessary;

32.

Stresses the importance of the European Urban Initiative and its adequate funding to fulfil all its objectives; calls for more direct funding for local authorities in order to strengthen their capacity building, technical support and exchange of best practices; calls on reinforcing resources for relevant agencies, which must correspond with the workload stemming from the EU Green Deal agenda, in particular the ‘Fit for 55 package’;

33.

Highlights the essential contribution of farmers and fishermen to society and underlines, therefore, the central importance of the common agricultural policy (CAP) and the common fisheries policy for food security and greater EU autonomy in high-quality food production; underlines the role of CAP in ensuring a sustainable and decent income for EU farmers, notably small-scale and young farmers; calls for concrete measures to address the root-causes of farmers’ discontent across the EU and in particular calls for immediate resources and measures to help farmers cope with the impact of inflation, fuel costs, new production standards and changes in the global food market; emphasises the need to help new and young farmers, thereby ensuring generational renewal, while addressing labour and skills shortages in the agri-food sector; points out that European farmers face many challenges, notably excessive red tape and administrative burden, increasing regulatory overlap, shortages, as well as difficult working conditions; stresses the need to better address the impact of increasing frequency and intensity of floods, droughts and wildfires on the sectors through dedicated support measures; calls for adequate income for all in the agricultural sectors; underlines the need for appropriate support for research and innovation, and for the respect of labour standards, as well as for appropriate investments to offer alternative income sources, and to facilitate the transition towards a more sustainable and affordable food system in particular through innovation, preserving farmer’s income, while avoiding a situation where European farmers face unfair competition from imports that do not meet our standards; expects the strategic dialogue on the future of agriculture to address all relevant issues including preventive aspects;

34.

Reiterates that all EU programmes, policies and activities should be implemented in such a way that promotes gender equality in the delivery of their objectives; welcomes, in this regard, the Commission’s work on gender budgeting and stresses the need to further develop its gender tracking methodology to measure the gender impact of Union spending as set out in the Interinstitutional Agreement; calls on the Commission to demonstrate results of this methodology for the 2025 budget accompanied by the systematic collection, reporting and evaluation of gender-disaggregated data;

A future-fit budget for a changing world

35.

Reiterates the need to implement a migration and asylum policy that is based on solidarity, shared responsibility and respect for human rights, in line with Union values and international commitments; stresses that effective, humane and fair management and protection of the Union’s external borders are key to ensuring the security of the Union, guaranteeing the smooth and efficient implementation of the Union’s migration and asylum policy in particular in order to prepare the entry into application of the new Migration and Asylum Pact including as regards effective, safe and dignified reception, integration and return and readmission procedures; underlines the vital role that the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) and the Border Management and Visa Instrument (BMVI) play in that regard; recalls the need to preserve the free movement of people within the Union; recalls that Romania and Bulgaria have joined Europe’s borderless Schengen travel zone by March 2024 and reiterates the importance of urgently concluding and operationalising a complete accession, including land and train connections; will strive to maximise the availabilities in the 2025 budget for these purposes; considers that the EU must work closely with its neighbours and third countries of origin and transit to boost stable, sustainable and inclusive development and address the root causes of migration, thereby preventing irregular migration and protecting vulnerable people from smuggling and trafficking networks, as well as death at sea; highlights in particular the increasing responsibilities of agencies in charge of border surveillance and management, support to Member States in carrying out their tasks under the Common European Asylum System and fundamental rights compliance; stresses the need for adequate funding, staffing and staff training for all agencies operating in the fields of security, justice, law enforcement, asylum and migration as well as border management in order to be able to fulfil their mandate; calls for particular focus on the accurate implementation and management of large-scale EU IT systems, which contribute to the Union’s security landscape;

36.

Stresses that the security environment surrounding the EU remains very volatile; continues to put strong emphasis on European security and defence capabilities to better respond to the unprecedented geopolitical challenges; believes that the EU budget is instrumental in the context of a common EU defence strategy and strengthened security and defence coordination between the Member States; wishes to reinforce its most successful and pertinent programmes such as the European Defence Fund and its agencies to boost European sovereignty; wishes to underline the synergies and efficiency of EU-level investments in the area of defence, especially in the field of military mobility, protection and interoperability of infrastructure; underscores the necessity of addressing issues such as disinformation as a growing political and security challenge, particularly following the Russian war on Ukraine, cybercrime or organised crime with a cross-border dimension;

37.

Reiterates its condemnation of Russia's war against Ukraine, and stresses that Russia’s war against Ukraine has brought back war to the European Union’s neighbourhood and has impacted supply chains, trade and economic relations; reiterates its full support for Ukraine in the fight for its freedom and democracy; deplores the terrible impact on lives, the suffering of the Ukrainian People, as well as the substantial economic and social consequences for the people of Europe caused by the unprovoked and unjustifiable Russian war of aggression; considers that the 2025 budget should contribute to mitigating the impact of the cost of living crisis and inflation; recalls that certain Member States, in particular frontline ones, and vulnerable sectors of the economy, remain particularly exposed to the consequences of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and deserve support in areas such as agriculture or infrastructure, but also military mobility in the spirit of EU solidarity;

38.

Remains determined to help and support Ukraine through the proposed Ukraine Facility, which will provide support in the form of grants and loans for Ukraine’s repair, recovery and reconstruction, macro-financial assistance, institutional, social, economic and environmental upward convergence and public investments, as well as for its EU accession path; stresses the urgency and the opportunity of combining the support for Ukraine and the reconstruction efforts with a constructive pre-accession process that fosters reforms and a progressive move towards the EU acquis; recalls that humanitarian aid for Ukraine will not be covered by the Facility and therefore underlines that sufficient resources for humanitarian aid will need to be provided in this context also in Budget 2025;

39.

Considers that support for the Western Balkan countries remains important in view of EU enlargement and welcomes the Commission’s new Growth Plan for the Western Balkans as a good step to further support Western Balkan countries in economic convergence with the EU's single market; underlines the importance of sustained support for candidate countries in implementing the necessary accession-related reforms notably regarding the rule of law, anti-corruption and democracy and in enhancing their resilience and preventing and countering hybrid threats;

40.

Welcomes the decision to grant Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova candidate country status and insists on the need to deploy the necessary funds to support their accession process; stresses that the allocation for the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA III) and pertinent budget lines under the NDICI - Global Europe in 2025 should catalyse the cooperation with Moldova as well as with Georgia in line with the agreement on the MFF revision;

41.

Underlines that the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) – Global Europe is a vitally important instrument for the Union’s position as a leading global power and to fulfil its role as a peaceful stabilising force throughout the world, thereby reinforcing the Union’s geopolitical interests in the world; urges that its financial cushion has been depleted and should benefit from urgent reinforcements;

42.

Highlights, moreover, the importance of the NDICI programme for the support to global challenges, the promotion of human rights, freedoms and democracy, as well as, for capacity building of civil society organisations and for delivering on the Union’s international climate and biodiversity commitments, within a comprehensive monitoring and control system;

43.

Regrets that the Commission has not conditioned payments to third countries more effectively as a means to enforce the Union’s geopolitical interests, in particular in relation to the Union’s migration policies, defence concerns, as well as in relation to human rights; calls on the Commission to set specific conditions and milestones for its payments to third countries in accordance with the particular political interests of the Union and to suspend without undue delay a relevant part of the payments if a third country fails to meet the set conditions; expects all responsible Commissioners-designate in their hearings to commit to this stricter interest-based conditioning of the EU budget towards third countries;

44.

Stresses the importance of reinforcing the Southern and Eastern Neighbourhood lines in order to support political, economic and social reforms in the regions, to provide assistance to refugees, notably by ensuring continuous, reinforced and predictable funding for the relevant actors and agencies commensurate to the level of needs to reach the people on the ground through a prudent distribution mechanism fully in line with EU rules to prevent illegal use of European funds;

45.

Recalls that the EU’s humanitarian aid for civilians in dire need is indispensable and contributes to building stability and peace in the affected regions and that the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance must be guaranteed and not impeded in line with international rulings, accompanied by the usual screening and monitoring procedures; expects the financial needs for humanitarian aid to further increase as a consequence of wars, increasing geopolitical instability, persistent extreme poverty and more frequent natural disasters; considers, based on these assumptions, that the EU will have to reinforce significantly the humanitarian aid to respond to the intensified needs on the ground, notably to the people in need in the Middle East region;

46.

Reiterates that it condemns unequivocally the brutal terrorist attacks perpetrated by Hamas against Israel and its people on 7 October 2023 and expresses its deepest sorrow for the innocent victims on both sides; underlines that the Union budget must continue to provide support to build peace and stability in the region, to combat hate, political extremism and fundamentalism and to promote human rights;

47.

Recalls its resolution adopted on 18 January 2024 acknowledging the role of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which is providing shelter currently for over one million internally displaced persons and is the largest platform for providing humanitarian assistance to the population of the Gaza Strip, where the whole population faces deteriorating humanitarian conditions including shortages of shelter, clean water, food and medical assistance; reiterates, therefore, the importance of continued and predictable EU funding; welcomes the fact, that the UN launched an investigation without delay, following the serious allegations regarding individuals that were part of the UNRWA staff purportedly involved in the terrorist attacks against Israel of 7 October 2023, and the information provided and prompt actions taken by the agency, notably to immediately terminate the existing contracts; notes the Commission’s call for an external audit reviewing thereby the pillar assessment of the UN control systems, agreed by UNRWA; supports the control, monitoring and scrutiny systems implemented by the Commission reminding that the use of EU funds by beneficiaries must respect EU rules and safeguards and international law; welcomes, in this regards, that the Commission’s review of EU aid to Palestine concluded that the controls and existing and effective safeguards in place work well and that no evidence has been found to date that money has been diverted for unintended purposes, as well as the risk assessment and related additional measures;

Boosting the implementation of programmes

48.

Recalls Parliament’s full support for the cohesion policy in delivering on EU policy priorities and boosting the EU economy by contributing to fair, inclusive and sustainable growth and development, promoting economic and social convergence between Member States and their regions, supporting the green and digital transitions, and fostering innovation and employment; reiterates its conviction that the objectives of cohesion policy can only be achieved if delays in programme execution are tackled head on and as a matter of urgency; considers that such an approach to accelerating absorption and implementation would also be the most effective way of making the added value of EU spending visible and tangible for the people in the EU; recalls the need for increased technical assistance to further promote Member States’ absorption capacities;

49.

Stresses that EU budget funds need to reach EU citizens and SMEs; reminds that the simplification of administrative procedures, user-friendly and comprehensive websites and portals, the reduction of red tape and the creation of one-stop shops are essential for making EU programmes more accessible to local and regional authorities, civil society organisations, young entrepreneurs and SMEs;

50.

Urges the Member States and the Commission to speed up the implementation of operational programmes under shared management funds and to ensure swift budgetary execution, notably of cohesion funds; notes that the share of funds under the 2014-2020 programmes that remained unused should be reallocated to Member States in order to further continue to reduce regional disparities; calls for speedy implementation of recovery and resilience plans, including an evaluation by the Commission regarding the implementation process, barriers and results; is concerned that under-implementation, unless swiftly mitigated, will result in a payment crisis, i.e. a mismatch of payment needs and available space under the MFF payment ceiling in 2026 and 2027;

51.

Believes that due diligence, accountability and respect of the Union’s values should apply to all beneficiaries of EU funds and implementing partners, in order to protect the EU’s financial interests and avoid undue interference, reiterates the importance of effective and thorough monitoring and control bodies that reveal, investigate, prosecute and bring to justice crimes against the financial interests of the EU as the money spent on fighting corruption yields a huge net return to the EU; considers therefore that these bodies should be adequately resourced and properly staffed in order to perform their tasks the most effective way; underlines, in a similar vein, that adequate EU oversight is necessary to ensure the financial sector works for the benefit of citizens and consumers; demands, in view of a healthy, inclusive and resilient financial sector, that the resources for the European financial supervisory authorities and agencies, mandated with supervisory tasks or the elaboration of technical regulatory standards in this respect, are fully adjusted to take into account all the new regulatory tasks the completion of these policy aims entail;

52.

Calls for additional efforts by all actors involved to boost project implementation and absorption of eligible funding and thus to diminish the abnormal reste à liquider (RAL); considers that 2024 and 2025 should be used to identify and rectify any bottlenecks that impede a more effective implementation; calls for adequate budget resources to accelerate the implementation of programmes through additional capacity building and technical assistance for Member States, especially for those facing increased absorption difficulties including for RRF funds, as well as measures to expedite fair, competitive and efficient procurement and tendering procedures to boost implementation efforts;

53.

Underlines the importance of effective communication and visibility of EU policies and programmes in raising awareness of the added value that the EU brings to the citizens, businesses and partners; calls for ensuring adequate allocations in this regard;

54.

Recalls that a proper implementation of well-designed programmes is only possible with the support of a dedicated administration; emphasises the essential work carried out by bodies and decentralised agencies and considers that they must be properly staffed and adequately resourced so that they can perform their tasks; emphasises that their tasks evolve in line with policy priorities, such as the green and digital transitions, and stresses that new responsibilities, as well as the extension of their mandates, must be proportionately accompanied by fresh resources;

° °

55.

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the European Court of Auditors.

(1) OJ L, 2024/765, 29.2.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/765/oj.

(2) OJ L 325, 20.12.2022, p. 11.

(3) OJ C 445, 29.10.2021, p. 240.

(4) OJ L 433 I, 22.12.2020, p. 11.

(5) OJ C 444 I, 22.12.2020, p. 4.

(6) OJ C 445, 29.10.2021, p. 252.

(7) OJ C, C/2024/1195, 23.02.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2024/1195/oj.

(8) Texts adopted P9_TA(2024)0082.

(9) OJ C, C/2023/1084, 15.12.2023, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2023/1084/oj.