The unprecedented cuts in the EU’s future spending plans, agreed by Heads of State and Government in early February, have been much in the spotlight. But what are the implications for the policies which shape the longer term sustainability of European society?

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‘There is mixed news for the EU’s environment and the green economy from today’s MFF deal’ says David Baldock, Director of the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP).

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The special European Council on the MFF ended in deadlock on 23 November with Council negotiations expected to re-convene in the New Year.

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The President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, has issued a new negotiating text for the forthcoming MFF in preparation for the forthcoming Council meeting. He proposes further cuts of €75 billion to the Commission proposals, exceeding those recently tabled by the Cypriot Presidency (€50 billion). The implications for rural development are serious.

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The negotiations on the EU’s budget for the next seven years – called the Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF) – are now fully underway. The Cypriot Presidency has just published their attempt to bridge the gap between the Commission’s proposals for a small increase and those that are calling for reductions, most notably the UK. These negotiations and the debates on the reform of the CAP strongly interact because agriculture takes a major share of the EU budget. How this is resolved will have major implications for the environmental performance of EU agriculture.

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