European Union member states and the European Parliament reached an agreement in the early hours of Saturday (15 November 2025) on the regional budget for 2026, with plans to increase spending on defense and border security next year despite a slight decline in the general budget. According to the agreed budget, nearly 400 million euros will be allocated for border control, while 6 billion euros will be reduced for cohesion items.
“The 2026 EU budget will allow us to advance our shared priorities of security, competitiveness and border management, while also enabling the EU to respond quickly and effectively to unforeseen needs and crises,” Danish Finance Minister Nicolai Wamen, who led the negotiations during his current EU Council Presidency, said in a statement.
reduction compared to 2025, but less than expected
Next year’s budget includes €192.8 billion (the maximum amount the EU can commit to spending), a reduction of more than €6 billion compared to 2025. EU member states have indicated that planned spending on security and defense will increase by just under €200 million, reaching €2.8 billion.
A further 230 million euros, for a total of just over 5 billion euros, will be allocated to migration and border management. The agreement still requires formal approval by EU member states and the European Parliament, but is considered a mere formality.
Supporting Ukraine and improving competitiveness
The decision is based on a proposal by the European Commission, which presented next year’s budget of 193.26 billion euros at the beginning of June. Brussels authorities, who recently approved new sanctions against Russia, say these funds will also be used to support Ukraine and improve European competitiveness.
Last year, member states and the European Parliament agreed to slightly increase the total budget for 2025 to around 200 billion euros. At that time, member states expected next year’s budget to be around 186.24 billion euros. As usual, the European Parliament asked for more and entered negotiations with a request for 193.9 billion euros.
The European Commission today welcomed the agreement, guaranteeing that it will enable it to “continue to advance the EU’s political priorities and support its strategic objectives”. “We have invested more in external security, defense and innovation, but also in programs that directly benefit our people, students and farmers,” European Budget Commissioner Piotr Serafin said.
The 2026 Plan is the sixth in the framework of the so-called Multiannual Financial Framework (MFP) for 2021-2027, and negotiations have been brought to prominence by the COVID-19 pandemic. The bloc’s total budget amounts to approximately 1.1 trillion euros. Finally, the agreement is planned to keep the EUR 715.7 million available within the spending limits of this multi-year fiscal framework, allowing the EU to respond to unforeseen needs.
lgc (dpa, efe)
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