Joint statement by the 17 leaders of the ‘Friends of Cohesion’ group
NULLPEN · Source published 10/15/2026, 8:38:10 AM UTCThe joint statement adopted by the 17 leaders of the ‘Friends of Cohesion’ group following the coordination meeting organised by Italy and Romania ahead of the negotiations on the next EU budget is provided below. *** As negotiations on the next MFF enter a decisive phase, we stand united in calling for an ambitious, fair and balanced EU budget, capable of addressing new challenges while safeguarding the Union’s fundamental Treaty-based policies. Preserve the EU budget’s capacity to deliver. After two successive reductions, the proposed budget’s size has shrunk to 1.02% of EU GNI, excluding NGEU repayments. We believe the final agreement should ensure that the EU budget can address existing and emerging priorities while preserving key policies. Protect NRPP envelopes, including Cohesion and Agriculture, both in funding and implementation. Adequate resources must be accompanied by rules that safeguard the specific objectives of these policies and allow Member States and regions to make effective use of the available funds. A fairer, non-regressive and more balanced revenue side. We ar…
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