Sittings · Document
On the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2026
Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs · Rapporteur: Marlena Maląg
The opinion sets out the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee's priorities for the 2026 EU budget, covering competitiveness, defence, SMEs, green and digital transition, financial stability, cohesion, housing, and strategic autonomy.¶¶¶ It calls for increased funding for key strategic objectives, support for vulnerable groups, and measures to address investment gaps, while stressing the need for transparency and efficiency in spending.¶¶¶ It also urges the Commission to explore mechanisms for macroeconomic stability, extend the Recovery and Resilience Facility if needed, and introduce new own resources to ensure sustainable financing.¶¶¶
Committee position. The committee calls on the lead committee to incorporate its suggestions into the resolution, outlining priorities for the 2026 budget.¶
Key points
- Stresses that the 2026 budget must address geopolitical instability, protectionism, deindustrialisation, and financial stability threats, mainstreaming competitiveness, defence, SME support, and green and digital transition.¶
- Calls for prioritising European public goods and increasing cross-border investments in defence and energy interconnections.¶
- Recalls the Draghi report's investment gap and calls for budget contributions to close it, steering private capital to productive and sustainable activities.¶
- Calls for robust support to make the economy resilient to external shocks, addressing trade tensions and the cost of living crisis, and exploring a mechanism for appropriate cyclical position.¶
- Calls for reducing dependencies on critical inputs from non-EU countries, especially raw materials and energy, and reducing energy costs via alternative sources under the Taxonomy Regulation.¶
- Emphasises financial stability and adequate funding for European Supervisory Authorities to handle sustainable finance, fintech, anti-money laundering, and cyber resilience.¶
- Calls for budget measures to support regions bordering Russia and the Middle East, reduce territorial disparities, and support cooperation in the Baltic and Mediterranean.¶
- Proposes targeted housing measures for vulnerable groups to address the housing crisis.¶
- Urges investment in strategic preparedness, resilience, security, and defence, including mobilising private capital, and criticises frequent use of Article 122 TFEU for common debt.¶¶
- Notes the proposal to activate the national escape clause for defence spending and calls for complementarity with national expenditure.¶
- Recalls that medium-term fiscal plans must align with budget priorities and welcomes the net expenditure indicator excluding co-financing.¶
- Stresses cohesion policy's importance, calls for maintaining shared management and involving local authorities, and for removing internal barriers to complete the single market.¶¶
Who is affected
- Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and retail investors, who should benefit from improved access to capital markets.¶
- Vulnerable groups, including those affected by the housing crisis, who should receive targeted support.¶¶
- Member States bordering Russia and the Middle East, which need financial measures to address trade, inflation, and energy impacts.¶
- National tax authorities, which should receive support through the FISCALIS programme to fight tax fraud and evasion.¶
- Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) receiving EU funding, which must act transparently.¶
Figures and deadlines
- 18-month extension of mature Recovery and Resilience Facility projects, if needed.¶
Written by a language model from the full text only; every figure comes from the text and ¶ links to the paragraph it rests on. Check the text itself before relying on it.