New own resources for the EU budget

Policy Brief

As part of its proposals for the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2028 to 2034 launched on 16 July 2025, the European Commission suggested five new own resources as revenue streams to enhance the EU budget:

• The EU Emission Trading System (ETS)
• The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)
• A new contribution based on non-collected e-waste
• The Corporate Resource for Europe (CORE)
• A Tobacco Excise Duty Own Resource (TEDOR)

In the upcoming negotiations on the next MFF, the implementation of new own resources should be a priority. Their introduction could rest on a two-pronged strategy: with the MFF 2028-2034, the focus should be on the Commission proposals, which could be mobilised quickly. The proposed new own resources based on the EU ETS and the CBAM, as well as the CORE, would be more genuine than current own resources.

All Commission proposals would support important EU goals and strategies. Political acceptance should be highest for the CBAM-based own resource, while political feasibility could be lowest for TEDOR and the e-waste-based own resource, which would have to be paid out of member states’ budgets.

Further tax-based own resources, which could rest on aviation and shipping, cryptocurrencies and net wealth, should be prepared for the post-2034 MFF.

A first draft of this policy brief was presented to the EU Investment Capacity Group 2025 in November 2025 at the event “New own resources in the MFF proposal“.