EU budget talks allocate €8.58 bn to feminist projects while member states push €8 bn cut for 2027

The European Commission has presented its draft Multi‑annual Financial Framework for 2028‑2034, proposing to raise the EU budget to €2 trillion and to consolidate programmes from 52 to 16. A new instrument, AgoraEU, would receive €8.58 billion and combine culture, media, democracy and citizens’ rights streams. The Commission explicitly states that funds under AgoraEU and the existing CERV programme should flow to “feminist organisations and women’s‑rights groups,” drawing criticism from some members of the European Parliament.

Separately, the Council of EU member states has agreed on a provisional 2027 budget of roughly €192 billion, about €8 billion less than the Commission’s proposal of €200 billion. The reduced figure is intended to balance spending on agriculture (about €54 billion), cohesion policy, security, defence and support for Ukraine, while still allowing the bloc to respond to crises such as the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East and ongoing migration pressures. The two positions underline the widening gap between the Commission’s spending priorities and the member states’ willingness to fund them as EU budget negotiations continue toward a final deal expected by the end of 2027.