Von der Leyen officially informed Roberta Metsola, President of the Parliament, and the current rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union of the amendments she proposed.
The new version includes expanding the scope of participation of regions within EU countries in local decisions, in addition to providing more guarantees for the agricultural sector, and strengthening the role of the European Parliament in the budget allocation mechanism. One option also proposes allocating a portion of the budget to rural development separately from common agricultural funding.
These amendments aim to facilitate reaching an agreement between the Parliament and the Member States on the financial framework for the period from 2028 to 2034. The budget is expected to allow spending of approximately two trillion euros over seven years, which represents a significant increase compared to the current period.
This move came after the leaders of the main political groups in the European Parliament objected to the Commission’s initial proposal, stressing that it did not sufficiently take into account the importance of regional policy and the Parliament’s powers in directing spending. The letter of objection was signed by representatives of the Conservative, Social Democrat, Liberal and Green parties, along with prominent members of the Budget Committee.
