The multiannual financial framework (MFF) is the EU’s long-term budget, shaping its priorities at home and its influence abroad over a seven-year period. While the current €1.2 trillion framework runs until 2027, discussions are underway for the 2028-2034 MFF.
EU external action is increasingly central to the MFF. Once a vulnerable budget line, it is now a test of whether the EU can act as a credible geopolitical and development actor on a tense global stage. ECDPM has accompanied this evolution: from explaining and analysing the EU’s external budget and serving as an embedded evaluator of the external financing instruments, to contributing evidence and analysis to the design of the EU’s external action toolbox and new Global Europe instrument.
This dossier presents our work on the multiannual financial framework and its implications for Europe’s partners. It brings together our latest work on the 2028-2034 MFF, highlights our impact and offers insights into the current and past frameworks.
About the Authors:
Dr Alexei Jones is Head of ECDPM’s European Foreign and Development Policy team. He specialises in EU external action, development cooperation and the European Union’s role as a global actor.
Mariella Di Ciommo is a senior policy analyst in ECDPM’s European foreign and development policy team. Mariella’s work focuses on EU foreign and development policy, including the EU-long term budget, implications for Europe of China’s global engagement and gender equality.
Andrew Sherriff is associate director of Institutional relations and partnerships at ECDPM and a member of its management team.
Amandine Sabourin is a senior policy analyst in ECDPM’s European foreign and development policy and Inclusive governance and accountability teams.