Sixteen European countries are calling for increased investment in regional funds, agriculture and fisheries in the upcoming EU long-term budget for the period 2028–2034, according to a document seen by Euronews.
The paper is signed by Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Greece, Spain, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Latvia, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, and Slovakia.
Calling themselves "Friends of Cohesion", they complain in the document about the reduction in funds for the Cohesion Policy, Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) and Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), which they describe as "the most visible EU policies for EU citizens".
Cohesion and agriculture funds account for 60 percent of the overall budget. In the European Commission's proposal, they would amount to 44 percent.
"Cohesion Policy, CAP and the CFP are the only policies facing reductions in real terms, despite the overall increase in the size of the new MFF [Multiannual Financial Framework]," the signatories write. "These policies significantly contribute to the key EU objectives and their Treaty-based objectives remain fully relevant."
"In this context, we call for an increase in the Member States' allocations under Heading 1 for the Treaty-based policies."
Heading 1 is dedicated to economic, social and territorial cohesion, agriculture, rural and maritime prosperity and security, which correspond to the 53.7 percent of the total budget. It will also cover the repayment of loans issued under Next Generation EU, the EU's scheme to tackle the economic effects of the COVID-19 global pandemic.
A full 81.5 percent of the heading is allocated to national and regional partnership plans.
In the European Commission's proposal, there is a plan for each member state to distribute regional and agriculture funds, and countries will be granted more discretion over how funds are distributed.
Despite this significant political push from the "Friends of Cohesion", more frugal countries do not see the increase of funds under heading 1 as a priority.
"We cannot continue spending more and more on traditional areas," Danish Minister for European Affairs Marie Bjerre told journalists on Tuesday, referring to agriculture and cohesion.
On multiple occasions, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has spoken out strongly against proposals to issue new common EU debt, even though it would serve as a form of repayment for the Next Generation EU fund.
