What regions and cities expect from the next EU budget? Ask Jacques!

The Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) is the European Union's long-term budget, setting spending priorities and financial limits over a seven-year period. The next MFF will run from 2028 to 2034, providing the framework for funding key EU policies and programmes, including cohesion, agriculture, research, competitiveness, climate action and external relations. Member States and EU institutions have until the end of 2027 to find an agreement on the size and rules of the MFF.

Navigating requests, proposals and acronyms to understand what regions and cities are calling for—and why—was not an easy exercise... until now!

‘Jacques’ - named after Jacques Delors, the former President of the European Commission and architect of modern Cohesion Policy - is a project launched by the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) with the aim of bringing together CoR's opinions and related documents on the next MFF so that users can understand how local and regional authorities are contributing to shaping the EU’s long-term budget.

Through AI-driven technology, users can explore the CoR's recommendations, access official sources and gain clear, evidence-based answers to questions about the MFF.

Are you curious to understand why regions and cities fear that the next EU budget will centralise power in the hands of national governments? Or whether the next EU budget will pit farmers against local authorities in a ‘Hunger Games’-style competition for funding?

Ask Jacques!