The European Commission's proposal for the 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) outlines a €2 trillion vision for Europe's future. It prioritises competitiveness, defence, climate, and cohesion. But while the budget promises a strategic reorientation, it arrives at a moment when the world—and Europe—stands at a critical crossroads.
As highlighted in the recent FfD4 Resilience Statement and the European Parliament's 2025 SDG Review, we are living through an era of polycrisis, where planetary collapse, geopolitical tensions, rising inequality, and fragile democracies reinforce each other.
To succeed, the EU's budget must go beyond strategic priorities. It must be resilient by design.
Resilience is not just about bouncing back from a crisis. As emphasised at the UN's Financing for Development Conference in Seville, it is about bouncing forward—strengthening systems so they adapt, regenerate, and transform, developing a system that learns from perturbation rather than failing under stress. The European Parliament similarly calls for "decisive transformative action" to tackle SDG backsliding, noting that only 17% of SDG targets are on track.
Here's how the next EU budget can become a platform for resilience, drawing on both frameworks.
The EU should institutionalise planetary boundaries across fiscal programming. Going beyond climate neutrality, it must:
This aligns with the Parliament's call for a "true wellbeing economy... fully respecting planetary boundaries."
We must ensure no one is left behind. The Parliament explicitly calls for expanding universal healthcare, closing the gender pay gap, and boosting the care economy. The budget should:
The budget must move from post-crisis recovery to pre-crisis readiness. FfD4 proposed anticipatory mechanisms, like:
The Parliament and FfD4 agree: decisions must be co-owned. The MFF should:
The Parliament rightly supports learning for sustainability. The EU should:
The Parliament acknowledges that "growth initiatives cannot come at the expense of social justice or environmental protection." The EU must:
The MFF must be more than internal. The Parliament urges alignment with the SDGs and the Paris Agreement in all external instruments. That means:
The world is watching how the EU will lead into the post-2030 development era. A budget that simply allocates funds cannot address cascading planetary and social risks. But a budget that builds resilience by design—with planetary guardrails, anticipatory finance, inclusive governance, and a regenerative economy—can transform crises into catalysts, positioning Europe to lead in both humanitarian vision and new opportunities for transformational growth.
This is not just an investment strategy. It is a survival strategy.
Let's make 2028–2034 the cycle where Europe doesn't just spend better, but thrives through transformation.