Multiannual Financial Framework
The Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) is the European Union’s long-term budget plan. It sets out the EU’s spending priorities and limits over a seven-year period, ensuring financial stability and aligning investments with the EU’s key policy goals.
The MFF is divided into broad spending categories known as “headings”, which reflect different areas of EU policy. One of the most crucial for international partnerships is: Heading 6: Neighbourhood and the World.
This heading finances the EU’s external action, including:
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International cooperation
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Humanitarian aid
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Peacebuilding
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Partnerships with non-EU countries
Through Heading 6, the EU addresses global challenges, supports human rights, and promotes sustainable development worldwide. It includes key instruments like the NDICI – Global Europe instrument which channels significant Official Development Assistance (ODA) to countries in need and supports EU values globally.
The MFF is not just about budgeting—it defines how the EU chooses to engage with the world. For civil society, development organisations, and global partners, the MFF is a powerful tool for:
- Poverty Reduction
- Promoting Democracy and Human Rights
- Tackling Climate Change
- Supporting Countries in Crisis
CONCORD’s work on the MFF is part of a dedicated project, Financing and Funding for Sustainable Development.
⇨ Learn more.
OUR PRIORITIES
Protect and increase ODA
Ensure the EU meets its 0.7% GNI target for development aid, protects aid from budget cuts, and keeps at least 93% of external funding DAC-compliant.
Safeguard international cooperation instruments
Maintain a dedicated tool for international cooperation with strong support for human development, gender equality, and civil society.
Promote human rights and inclusion
Make human development and a rights-based approach the foundation of EU external action, focusing on the most marginalised groups.
Support civil society
Provide flexible, predictable, and accessible funding for civil society organisations—especially those operating in fragile or high-risk environments.
MFF PROCESS
Negotiating the MFF is a complex, multi-year process that begins well before a formal proposal is published. Here’s a top-line look at how it unfolds:
Early Consultations
Informal talks, debates, and stakeholder engagement shape inital ideas and priorities.
Commission Proposal
The European Commission publishes a draft MFF, which sets off formal negotiations.
Negotiations Across Institutions
Member States
The Council of the EU
The European Parliament
Role of Civil Society
Organizations like CONCORD engage throughout:
Influencing national and EU decision-makers
Defending aid effectiveness and policy priorities
Monitoring how funds are implemented and spent
For more details on the process see the timeline below.
TIMELINE
LATEST PUBLICATION
The forthcoming Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), covering 2028–2034, will define the EU’s capacity to address global challenges, from poverty reduction, gender equality, climate resilience and peacebuilding.
At the heart of the MFF’s external dimension lies the Global Europe Fund, an instrument for implementing the EU’s external action, including its development cooperation.
In this paper, CONCORD analyses the latest European Commission’s proposal, highlighting the need for flexibility to be anchored in a framework that guarantees accountability, predictability, transparency and policy coherence.
Latest News
Open Letter – Uphold EU Global Leadership: Reject the Merger of External Financing Instruments
The EU is currently facing a number of social, political and economic issues. Despite being one of the major contributors to international cooperation funding, recent developments in the context of the upcoming MFF negotiations may cause gaps in the EU’s commitment to...
Shaping International Partnerships: Budgeting our Common Future
The world stands at a crossroads, facing a confluence of crises – rising inequalities, democratic backsliding, escalating conflicts, and the intensifying impacts of the climate emergency. Shrinking civic space, persistent gender inequality, and the compounded...
