The European Commission has unveiled a draft budget for 2026, building on the mid-term revision of the 2021–2027 long-term financial framework. The revised plan responds to recent global challenges—including energy crisis, and rising geopolitical tensions—and aligns spending with the EU priorities.
The draft 2026 budget is set at €193.26 billion, complemented by an estimated €105.32 billion under NextGenerationEU, the instrument to support Europe’s economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
The draft budget focuses on key areas such as support for Ukraine, boosting EU competitiveness, managing migration, enhancing security and defence, and advancing strategic investments. It also continues to fund the EU’s green and digital transitions.
In addition, the budget incorporates measures from the cohesion mid-term review, allowing member states to redirect cohesion funds toward emerging needs like defence, affordable housing, energy transition, water resilience, and competitiveness.
Among other policies, the 2026 annual budget will go towards:
single market, innovation and digital - €22,054.4 billion
cohesion, resilience and values - €71,726.1 billion
natural resources and environment - €56,971.9 billion
migration and border management - €5,010.0 billion
security and defence - €2,803.5 billion
neighbourhood and the world - €15,505.0 billion
The annual budget for 2026 will have to be formally adopted by the European Parliament and Council before the end of the year.
"The EU budget has been able to respond to unprecedented global volatility and has continued to finance our key priorities, both within and outside the Union. At the same time, the room for manoeuvre, as we enter the final two years of the current long-term EU budget is becoming more limited and most flexibilities have been exhausted. I see this also as an important lesson for our next financial framework, for which we will make proposals in July,"- said Piotr Serafin, Commissioner for Budget, Anti-Fraud and Public Administration.
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