15 Ottobre 2026

The joint statement adopted by the 17 leaders of the ‘Friends of Cohesion’ group following the coordination meeting organised by Italy and Romania ahead of the negotiations on the next EU budget is provided below.

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As negotiations on the next MFF enter a decisive phase, we stand united in calling for an ambitious, fair and balanced EU budget, capable of addressing new challenges while safeguarding the Union’s fundamental Treaty-based policies.

1. Preserve the EU budget’s capacity to deliver. After two successive reductions, the proposed budget’s size has shrunk to 1.02% of EU GNI, excluding NGEU repayments. We believe the final agreement should ensure that the EU budget can address existing and emerging priorities while preserving key policies.
2. Protect NRPP envelopes, including Cohesion and Agriculture, both in funding and implementation. Adequate resources must be accompanied by rules that safeguard the specific objectives of these policies and allow Member States and regions to make effective use of the available funds.
3. A fairer, non-regressive and more balanced revenue side. We are ready to engage constructively on the revenue side, including new own resources, but the parameters of both existing and new own resources must ensure a fair and balanced distribution of the financial burden among Member States and address regressivity across the revenue side as a whole.
4. No rebates. Preferential GNI-based corrections have no place in a modernised and fair EU budget.

We have committed to remaining united around these four principles throughout the negotiations, and to working together to ensure that our shared priorities are reflected in the final agreement.