This Saturday, European Parliament President Roberta Mezzola announced the approval of the regional budget for 2026, after the European Parliament and the European Parliament signed an agreement to strengthen areas such as research, energy, transport networks, security, agriculture and civil protection.
“The EU already has a budget for 2026. This is a budget that responds to people’s concerns and promotes European priorities. In times of global instability, Europe must remain competitive, resilient and secure,” the European representative said in a publication on his account on the social network X, thanking all teams and experts involved for “delivering on time”.
The agreement, reached before the expiry of the mediation period, sets the total allocation for commitments (legal obligations) in 2026 at €192.8 billion, and the allocation for payments (actual expenditures) for the same period at €190.1 billion.
Furthermore, the preliminary agreement will reincorporate the EUR 1.3 billion cut by EU governments and restore the Commission’s original proposed level of commitment allocation.
Increase in major EU programs
Parliament succeeded in securing additional funding for several priority EU programs, adding €372.7 million above the European Commission’s original proposal and, pending publication of detailed figures, directing these funds to initiatives aimed at improving people’s lives, increasing competitiveness and addressing defense challenges.
In the area of research and infrastructure, MEPs increased the allocation for the Erasmus+ education program by 3 million, as well as securing an additional 20 million euros for the Horizon Europe initiative (research and innovation) and 23.5 million euros for transport and energy networks.
In agriculture and environment, the “LIFE” program will be strengthened to 10 million people, and “EU4Health” will involve an additional 3 million people. Furthermore, the amount aimed at promoting European agricultural products within the framework of the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund was increased by EUR 105 million, thanks to higher-than-expected revenues and remaining funds.
To strengthen emergency response capabilities, Congress authorized an additional 10 million for the Civil Protection Authority and RescEU, and authorized another 10 million for military maneuvers.
Similarly, border controls are guaranteed to be strengthened by the same amount. Against the backdrop of the destabilizing international situation, we are promoting an additional contribution of 35 million euros each to the Southern and Eastern Neighborhoods, with a further 35 million euros promised in humanitarian aid.
The EU will also face an unexpected additional cost of 4.2 billion in funding for the NextGenerationEU fund in 2026, although it has been ensured that this increase will not affect important programs such as the aforementioned Erasmus+ and EU4Health.
The council explained in a public document that these additional costs will be managed according to a tiered mechanism designed to ensure reimbursement and protect core businesses.
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