Today, the European Council officially approved the EU's annual budget for 2026, which provides for expenditures on the bloc's key priorities – defense, migration, competitiveness, and crisis preparedness. This was reported on the official website of the European Council, writes UNN.
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The total amount of budget commitments is 192.8 billion euros, and the total amount of payments is 190.1 billion euros. The budget was agreed upon after lengthy negotiations with the European Parliament, which concluded with an agreement on November 15, 2025.
Denmark's Minister of Finance and the Council's chief negotiator for the EU budget for 2026, Nicolai Wammen, emphasized that the signing of the new budget is a strong step towards stability.
Today we took the final step in securing a strong and resilient EU budget that will allow us to continue delivering on our common EU priorities next year. This budget allows us to respond decisively to the needs of European citizens. At the same time, we have ensured flexibility to be able to overcome evolving crises.
According to him, 715.7 million euros have been left as a reserve within the expenditure ceilings of the current multiannual financial framework, allowing for a response to unforeseen circumstances.
The budget requires final approval by the European Parliament, which is expected on November 26, 2025. This is the sixth annual budget under the EU's multiannual financial framework for 2021–2027 and complements measures to support recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic under the NextGenerationEU plan.