(17 November 2016) – Today, the EU institutions reached an agreement on the 2017 EU budget.
As proposed by the Commission earlier this year, in 2017 the EU will spend more money on making Europe more competitive and more secure.
Likewise, more money will go to providing support for the reception and integration of refugees and to addressing the root causes of migration in the countries of origin and transit.
The 2017 EU budget is set at €157.9 billion in commitments and €134.5 billion in payment credits. Some key features include:
• Nearly half of the funds – €74.9 billion in commitments – aim to stimulate growth, employment and competitiveness.
• Support to European farmers amounts to €42.6 billion.
• Nearly €6.0 billion to reinforce the protection of external borders and to address the migration and refugee crisis. As a part of this, a total of €200 million will be for the new instrument to provide humanitarian assistance within the EU.