EU Council agrees negotiating position for 2028-2034 budget, shifting border funding oversight to member states

The EU Council last week (15 July) defined which sectors are expected to receive funding for border and internal security under the next European budget, in a push to accelerate member state action on migration.

Key Developments

The Council's negotiating position on the next multi-annual financial framework (MFF) for the seven-year period 2028–2034 outlines support for national capitals to:

• Implement the recent EU pact on migration and asylum
• Ensure efficient management of the EU's external borders and visa processing
• Assist in combating internal security threats

Funding Mechanism

Border and internal security funding for 2028–2034 would be delivered through national plans, bypassing the EU's often bureaucratic regulations that govern the current system. The budget's final figures are set to be agreed by the end of 2026.

Each member state will prepare a plan outlining expected reforms on topics the Council has identified as candidates for MFF negotiations, including:

• Visas
• Returns
• Internal security threats

Official Statements

"Member states will be able to respond to pressing needs and changes in policy," the Council said in a statement last Wednesday, adding that states could steer funding to address regional contexts.

Jim O'Callaghan, Ireland's minister for justice and home affairs and holder of the EU presidency, said in a statement: "With [this] agreement, we pave the way towards delivering crucial support to EU countries as they implement the pact on migration and asylum and modernise border management."

Concerns

While this red-tape cutting exercise has been a centrepiece of the EU's drive for simplification and competitiveness, delegating such powers to member states will leave greater room for unregulated human rights abuses to take place.