What the EU budget does
The European Union (EU) budget funds projects and investments that improve lives across Europe. It supports citizens, businesses, and regions - within the EU and beyond.
The EU budget invests in areas where working together brings better results: creating jobs, modernising healthcare and education, funding cutting-edge research, supporting European companies, and strengthening security. It helps improve transport and energy networks, tackles climate change, and promotes digital innovation.
It also allows the EU to act quickly when disasters strike - by sending firefighting or rescue teams, and by helping Member States respond to major crises, like the COVID-19 pandemic or the impacts of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
The current long-term EU budget, known as the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), runs from 2021 to 2027. It totals around €1.2 trillion - about 1% of the EU’s GDP - and is reinforced by NextGenerationEU, a temporary recovery instrument worth about €800 billion.
The EU budget complements national budgets. It focuses on areas where collective action delivers more impact than countries could achieve alone. Each year, an annual budget is adopted within the long-term framework, supporting priorities such as:
- Competitiveness, creating high-quality jobs, contributing to the green and digital transitions
- Projects with a European dimension, like cross-border infrastructure, student exchanges or multi-country projects
- Food security, supporting farmers, promoting sustainable agriculture and a high quality of life across all regions
- Defence and security
- Shared response on crises and emergencies, like the COVID-19 pandemic or the impacts of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine
- The EU’s global actions through international partnerships, development and humanitarian aid.
The next long-term EU budget is on it way, as the Union needs a new multi-annual budget, from 2028.
Key figures
Areas of action
The current debate on the budget - and how it has developed over time.
Information about the current budget (2021-2027), and the previous one (2014-2020)
Facts and figures about the EU as a borrower on the capital markets
Learn how the annual budget is prepared, implemented and assessed
Information on the implementation, performance, and results of the EU budget and its programmes
Information about budget beneficiaries, results of regional policy projects, and data on financing and achievements under EU-funded programmes
Measures ensuring the protection of the EU budget
Funding to support the European industry and boost investment in critical technologies
Key achievements
- The EU is the leading donor of humanitarian assistance. In 2024, the EU budget allocated over €2.49 billion in humanitarian assistance, helping more than 300 million people.
- In 2024, almost €61 billion were allocated to support climate objectives, and over €14 billion targeted biodiversity objectives. The equivalent of 32% and 6.7% of the total EU budget respectively.
- In 2024, nearly €38 billion of the EU budget supported gender equality: that’s 19% of the total budget.
- Galileo, the EU’s satellite navigation system, is used by over 4 billion smartphone users worldwide.
- Through the EU budget, 16 million people benefitted from the Erasmus Programme since 1987, enabling them to study, train, or work abroad.
- Investments through EU budget financed the installation of 3,613 km of cross-border electricity cables between 2014 and 2020.
- Since the beginning of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the EU has provided unprecedented and comprehensive support to Ukraine and its people. It mobilised more than €158 billion in financial, economic, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support, including in essential areas such as demining, energy, and prosecuting Russia’s crimes.
- More than 30 Nobel prizes were won by researchers whose work was supported thanks to the EU budget, highlighting EU’s excellence in science.
- In 2024, 5 Oscar-nominated films were funded by the EU budget, showcasing the impact of support for creative industries.
In focus
The European Union (EU) budget is supporting projects and investments to improve the quality of life of European citizens. It supports citizens, businesses and regions - across the EU and beyond.
The next long-term EU budget is on its way, as the Union needs a new multi-annual budget, from 2028.
In July 2025, the European Commission presented its proposal for the new long-term budget. It sets out a simpler budget that further increases the impact of investments with EU added value.
This page was last updated on 9 March 2026