On 29 June 2026, the Council of the European Union published a corrected version of the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2028-2034 Negotiating Box, updating specific paragraphs and figures for Member States and EU institutions. The corrections refine rules on cohesion investment thresholds, plan assessment timelines, cooperation shares, and financial envelopes for Horizon Europe, the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), and the external instrument.
The document, dated 14 June 2026, introduces a new requirement for Member States under cohesion policy (paragraph 39): if allocations to transition and more developed regions fall below [2575]% of current investment levels, they must justify based on objective criteria. This aims to ensure appropriate investments across all region categories. For plan assessment (paragraph 40), the Commission will assess Plans within four months of submission, with Council approval; amendments are assessed within three months, also requiring Council approval. The Commission may propose amendments in duly justified cases.
cross-border cooperation equals the sum of criteria (a)i) and (b)ii); transnational cooperation equals criterion (c)iii); outermost regions equal criterion (d)iv).
Financial envelopes are updated with indicative figures. Horizon Europe 2028-2034 (paragraph 94) receives an indicative envelope of EUR [148 579] million, broken down into Excellent Science EUR [37 4240] million, Competitiveness and Society EUR [64 145419] million, Innovation EUR [32 929] million, and European Research Area EUR [13 807] million (of which [4 573] million for widening participation). The Connecting Europe Facility 2028-2034 (paragraph 96) gets an indicative envelope of EUR [69 309] million: transport and military mobility EUR [43 889] million (including EUR [15 110] million for military mobility), and energy EUR [25 420] million. The external instrument support (paragraph 110) sets a maximum of EUR [95 000] million (current prices) for guarantees, Euratom loans, macro-financial assistance, and policy-based loans, with an indicative EUR [19 000] billion million allocated to the EIB.
Annex tables correct the CAP income support total for 2028-2034 (2025 prices) from 259,231 to 261,009, and change the cohesion line title to 'Economic, territorial and social cohesion including fisheries and rural communities and tourism'.
These corrections refine the MFF 2028-2034 negotiating box, impacting Member States' cohesion investment obligations, EU institutions' assessment timelines, and financial planning for key programmes. The updated figures provide clearer guidance for budget negotiations, affecting stakeholders such as regional authorities (cohesion requirements), research institutions (Horizon Europe funding), transport and energy sectors (CEF allocations), and EU taxpayers (overall budget size). The Council's corrections aim to ensure balanced investments and efficient programme implementation, though the exact thresholds and figures remain in square brackets, indicating they are subject to further negotiation.