The Budget Committee of the European Parliament agreed yesterday on their position for the next EU budget.
MEPs in the Budget Committee ask for three big improvements to the originally proposed EU budget:
1. Bigger budget. They want to increase the total 7-year budget by 10% – to 2.2 trillion euros.
2. European Social Fund with its own budget. MEPs ask for a dedicated European Social Fund with 124.19 billion euros. The Commission’s proposal does not include a dedicated European Social Fund.
3. Disability rights. MEPs ask to add a specific reference to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) in the budget text.
Specific budget for social inclusion (European Social Fund) and the specific referrence to UN CRPD are important issues in the budget – something Inclusion Europe has been advocating for alongside many other organisations.
Next steps
The European Parliament will vote on its position for the EU budget on 29 April 2026. It will be based on the position just approved by the Budget Committee.
Coming soon: Votes on the National and Regional Partnership and ESF Regulations and other key documents like the Performance Framework.
What we want
Inclusion Europe and our partners advocate for:
- Money dedicated for social inclusion (for example dedicates European Social Fund).
- Specific funding for deinstitutionalisation and strong rules to prevent EU money going to institutions
- EU money to be used for inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities and their families.