The Council adopts the EU budget for 2026, with commitments of 192.8 billion euros and a focus on defense, migration, and competitiveness.

Brussels, November 24, 2025 – The Council of the European Union has adopted the annual budget of the Union for 2026, setting the level of commitments at 192.8 billion euros and the level of payments at 190.1 billion euros, following the agreement reached with the European Parliament on November 15. The document represents the final step of the Council before the final approval, expected in the plenary of the Parliament on November 26.

According to the Council, the budget for 2026 is designed to support European strategic priorities in a context marked by geopolitical and economic pressures. Nicolai Wammen, the Danish Minister of Finance and chief negotiator of the Council, stated that the new budget "strengthens the EU's capacity to continue delivering on common priorities – from defense and migration to competitiveness and crisis preparedness – while ensuring the necessary flexibility to respond quickly to unexpected developments."

The budget includes a flexibility margin of 715.7 million euros remaining under the ceilings of the multiannual financial framework (MFF 2021–2027), which will allow the Union to respond quickly to unforeseen circumstances. This reserve can be activated for situations such as humanitarian crises, migration pressures, or major events affecting European security and economy.

The European executive emphasizes that the budget for 2026 is the sixth under the current multiannual financial framework and remains complemented by the NextGenerationEU instrument, through which post-pandemic recovery measures are finalized. The planned commitments cover programs and initiatives with a direct impact on citizens and businesses, from research and innovation to strategic infrastructures, green transition, support for Ukraine, and management of external borders.

The adoption of the annual budget is a joint process of the Council and the European Parliament. Every autumn, the institutions negotiate the levels of commitments and payments for the following year, in accordance with the limits set by the multiannual financial framework. The final agreement was reached in the conciliation on November 15, and the adoption in the Council is followed by the vote of the plenary of the European Parliament, scheduled for November 26, 2025.

https://2eu.brussels/articol/stiri/consiliul-adopta-bugetul-ue-pentru-2026-cu-angajamente-de-1928-miliarde-de-euro-si-accent-pe-aparare-migratie-si-competitivitate