Investment capacity in the MFF proposal

How much investment does the proposed new EU budget offer, and is it enough? To answer this question, the EU Investment Capacity Group – an initiative by FEPS and FES to stimulate the elaboration of policy proposals within the progressive family around the next MFF – gathered on 13 October at FEPS HQ in Brussels and online.

Dominika Biegon and Cédric Koch kicked off the discussion with a presentation of the results of the upcoming policy brief “Public investment in the proposed 2028-2034 EU budget: Needs, Gaps, and Reform Options”. They compared the Commission’s proposed 2028-2034 budget with the current one and with estimates of existing public (EU-level) investment gaps across six sectors critical to securing the EU’s future. Results showed that the new budget fails to provide sufficient investment to secure the EU’s future. They proposed alternative paths out of the bind of underinvestment in the EU, as within the new MFF proposal, so off-budget, and via fiscal rules reform.

The discussion at the roundtable focused on how to use the instruments within the MFF framework to enhance investments, also using successful past experience (like SURE). Other proposals included the use of blended instruments (EIB), monetary-fiscal coordination and adjustment of fiscal rules. 

The final policy brief was published in November. 

For more information about this conference, please do not hesitate to contact Luis Sáez Jiménez, FEPS Project Officer (luis.saez@feps-europe.eu)