Next multiannual EU budget was discussed in Helsinki

Finland’s Prime Minister Antti Rinne and the Prime Minister of Belgium and President elect of the European Council Charles Michel met on Monday at Kesäranta, the Prime Minister’s official residence.

Both leaders discussed the preparations by Finland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the EU’s next multiannual financial framework, or long-term budget, for 2021–2027, which will be on the agenda of the European Council meeting later this week.

“One of the objectives of Finland’s Presidency is to take the financial framework negotiations forward in the timetable set out by the June European Council and to reach an agreement on the framework by the end of the year. I will be presenting the October European Council a draft with proposals for an overall level of the framework, for levels of funding for different policy areas and for a conditionality of funding. After the October European Council, we are prepared to finalise this draft with more precise figures to serve as a basis for the agreement on the framework,” says Prime Minister Rinne.

Prime Minister Michel’s term as President of the European Council will start during Finland’s Presidency of the Council of the EU, on 1 December 2019. The President of the European Council will decide when the EU leaders’ summit will seek agreement on the EU’s next multiannual financial framework.

EU as a global actor

“Finland is strongly committed to working towards more effective compliance with the rule of law both during and after its Presidency. One of the central elements in this work is the conditionality between the rule of law and EU funding, which is included in the proposal for the next financial framework,” says Prime Minister Rinne.

Finland’s view is that the European Council should have a more central role in defining the direction of the EU’s external action.

“Finland gives its full support to the President-elect Michel in his efforts to develop the European Council’s role in external action. The EU must have a strong role in strengthening the multilateral system and in ensuring European external action that is coherent, efficient and consistent,” says Prime Minister Rinne.

Regarding the EU’s climate action, the prime ministers said that the aim is to finalise the plans for the EU’s long-term climate strategy and for the carbon neutrality target of 2050 at the December European Council.