Making the next EU budget deliver for people

Masha Smirnova (Policy & Advocacy Adviser, Social Platform) presents the high-level multi-stakeholder platform position on implementing the SDGs to European First Vice-President Frans Timmermans.

The clock is ticking fast for the future long-term EU Budget. The European Commission is expected to publish its proposal for the next multi-annual financial framework (MFF) on 29 May and to roll out all corresponding legislative texts for financial programmes and instruments shortly thereafter. The post-2020 EU budget, most likely programmed for a seven-year duration, also foresees new elements allowing for greater flexibility to respond to new challenges and unforeseen circumstances in the fields of migration, security and climate change. In the meantime, not everybody wants to foot the bill created by the United Kingdom’s impeding exit, with some Members States fiercely opposing increased contributions to the next MFF.

While the final budgetary envelope is one key issue determining future EU spending, priority setting should be another one. With the adoption of Agenda 2030, the EU has committed to delivering on the sustainable development goals (SDGs) which are guided by the principle of leaving no one behind. However, without adequate resources to mainstream the three core (social, environmental and economic) dimensions of sustainable development throughout the budget, such commitments risk falling short of any tangible objectives. In the social field, the European Pillar of Social Rights is a key vehicle to promote social rights in a fast-changing world and secure social standards in line with the achievement of many SDGs. An appropriate budget for the Pillar, to increase both intergenerational and territorial sustainability on a clear path to upward social convergence, should therefore be prioritised in the next MFF. This position is also reflected in the opinion of the high-level multi-stakeholder platform on implementing the SDGs that Social Platform is a part of. The corresponding report was handed over to European Commission First Vice-President Frans Timmermans on 20 March, coinciding with the United Nations International Day of Happiness as a symbolic reminder that the next EU budget should promote the well-being of people as a central objective.

For Social Platform, the next MFF therefore presents an opportunity to shift the balance of the EU budget towards people-centred policies. This will require bold political commitments to tackle social and regional disparities in the EU, which cannot be addressed by a reduced EU budget. Our key recommendation to implement the European Pillar of Social Rights in line with the SDGs is to ensure adequate funding for the next European Social Fund (ESF+), with the fund’s investment objectives explicitly linked to the principles of the Pillar, while making sure they are delivered in an inclusive, participatory and environmentally sustainable way.