Blog: Starting #MFFtour27 - Hoofdinhoud

Today , I am starting the intensive phase of my MFFtour27: meeting 24 foreign ministers, 24 finance ministers and national parliaments - to find out their views on our long-term budget beyond 2020.

Time is ticking: In less than eight months, we have to propose the next long-term budget, the so called Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). The present runs out end of 2020, and the key question will be, what our priorities are - and thus where to put the money - for the next five-years-budget. One thing is sure: I will not present anything without having held intensive discussions with all sides, be it my colleagues in the Commission, be it national governments, be it stakeholders, parliaments and stakeholders.

This is why today, I will start the intense phase of my #MFFtour27: I will visit 24 Member States in only 6 months leading up to the proposal date in May 2018: meeting 24 foreign ministers, 24 finance ministers, 24 national parliaments, in many cases also making time for additional meetings with stakeholders and citizens. After an initial 3 visits before summer (Italy, Greece and Luxembourg), this second phase will start with today's talks in Belgium's capital. On Monday, my tour will lead me to Stockholm (Sweden).

The aim of me touring around Europe, visiting all capitals in EU27, is simple: I am very much in the listening mode. I want to learn and capitalise on the knowledge of all interested parties, be it ministers, members of the national parliaments, citizens. I want to get their feelings, suggestions, and ideas about how and where to invest EU money. And I want to see what their reaction is to our reflection paper on the future of EU finances, where we set out different options - reflecting different routes the EU can take in the near future.

This includes the challenges we face: For example, we must decide together how best to respond to new challenges such as migration, security and defence. Some of these issues were not anticipated when the current fiscal framework was adopted and we are now managing them by stretching budget flexibility to their limits. As I explained in the conference on the Future of EU finances, we will have to think about how to fund these new priorities within a longer term perspective. And, as we all know, we have to factor in Brexit. Both challenges mean that the EU Budget, which in this 7-year financial framework stands at about 150 Billion Euros per year (or 1% of GNI EU28), needs somehow to be stretched.

My personal and preliminary view is that a compromise would need to be found, a mix between cuts and fresh money. This is why we are reviewing all existing spending areas and check them thoroughly in view of efficiency, results and options for synergy and simplification. Cuts will be necessary. And, at this stage, cannot be ruled out for any heading or programme.

At the same time, we might have to increase the budget to really meet both challenges. When confronted with this proposal, countries immediately position them according to what they get back from the budget in terms of financial flows: as net payers and net beneficiaries.

This is not the right way to look at the EU Budget. We must focus on the adding value we all derive from our common policies.

Still, we have to align the interest of the net payers and net beneficiaries. Read my next blogs where I will present some ideas in this regard.

Hope I got you interested. After all, EU Budget is not only about paying the bills. Proposing a draft budget for the years to come is nothing less than co-deciding on the path Europe will take in the next few years.

More on twitter: #MFFtour27