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| Committee on Budgets (BUDG) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Committee on Budgets |
| Abbreviation | BUDG |
| Chamber | European Parliament |
| Jurisdiction | European Union |
| Formation | 1979 |
| Members | 41 |
| Chairperson | (varies) |
| Political groups | European People's Party, Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, Renew Europe, Identity and Democracy, European Conservatives and Reformists, The Left in the European Parliament – GUE/NGL |
| Website | (European Parliament committee pages) |
Committee on Budgets (BUDG) is a standing committee of the European Parliament responsible for the preparation, negotiation and oversight of the European Union annual budget, the multiannual financial framework and related financial programming. It interfaces with institutions such as the European Commission, the Council of the European Union, the European Court of Auditors and the European Investment Bank to shape expenditure priorities, budgetary discipline and financial procedures. The committee’s work is central to debates involving the multiannual financial framework, the Cohesion Fund, the European Structural and Investment Funds, and allocations to agencies including the European Medicines Agency and the European Banking Authority.
The committee scrutinizes budget proposals submitted by the European Commission under procedures established by the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, engaging with stakeholders such as the Council of the European Union, the European Central Bank, the European Investment Fund and the European Economic and Social Committee. Established after the first direct elections to the European Parliament in 1979, it has evolved alongside major institutional reforms including the Maastricht Treaty, the Treaty of Amsterdam, the Lisbon Treaty and successive enlargements like the 2004 enlargement and the 2007 accession of Romania and Bulgaria. The committee’s remit covers financial instruments related to the Common Agricultural Policy, the Cohesion Fund, the Horizon Europe programme, and budgetary aspects of external action including allocations to the European External Action Service and the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance.
BUDG holds the power to adopt reports, amendments and opinions on the annual budget and on the multiannual financial framework before plenary voting in the European Parliament. It prepares the Parliament’s position for negotiations with the Council of the European Union during budgetary conciliation and trilogue processes, interacting with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Budget (DG BUDG) and the European Court of Auditors which audits budget execution. The committee oversees budget implementation by agencies such as the European Medicines Agency, the European Environment Agency, and the European Food Safety Authority, and exercises discharge procedures linked to the European Court of Auditors’ reports. It can initiate budgetary initiatives concerning instruments like the European Defence Fund, the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund, and emergency resources responding to crises like the COVID-19 pandemic or the Ukraine crisis.
Membership typically comprises MEPs from major political groups including the European People's Party, the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, Renew Europe, Identity and Democracy, the European Conservatives and Reformists, and The Left in the European Parliament – GUE/NGL. Chairs and vice-chairs are elected by committee members and often include representatives with expertise from national parliaments such as the Bundestag, the Assemblée nationale, the Cámara de Diputados or the Senate (France). Members coordinate with national finance ministries like the Bundesministerium der Finanzen, Ministry of Finance (France), Her Majesty's Treasury, and institutions such as the European Investment Bank and the European Central Bank. The committee’s secretariat liaises with the European Parliament Directorate-General for Internal Policies and the European Parliament Directorate-General for Budget.
Under the ordinary legislative procedure and the budgetary procedure defined by the Maastricht Treaty and refined by the Lisbon Treaty, BUDG drafts the Parliament’s amendments and adopts positions for conciliation with the Council of the European Union. It uses instruments including own-initiative reports, opinions on legislative proposals affecting expenditure, and amendments to annual budgets. The committee engages in trilogues with the Council Working Party on General Affairs and negotiating teams from the European Commission, while coordinating with committees such as the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, the Committee on Regional Development, and the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development. It also considers opinions from the Committee on Budgets and Monetary Affairs and consults the European Court of Auditors on irregularities and corrective measures.
BUDG’s annual cycle begins with the European Commission’s budget proposal, followed by adoption of the Parliament’s position, amendments, and negotiations leading to the final budget. It sets a work programme aligned with the multiannual financial framework, deadlines tied to the Conciliation Committee, and timelines influenced by events such as the European Parliament elections and Commission mandates. The committee schedules hearings with Commissioners like the European Commissioner for Budget and Administration and with directors from DG BUDG, and prepares for mid-term reviews, revisions following economic shocks like the 2008 financial crisis, and emergency instruments including the Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative. Its outputs include budgetary reports, draft amending budgets, and own-initiative motions addressing instruments such as the European Solidarity Fund.
BUDG engages in interparliamentary exchanges with national parliaments including the Bundestag, the House of Commons, the Senate of Poland, and the Cortes Generales through bodies like the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the European Union. It liaises externally with international organisations such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the United Nations Development Programme to align budgetary priorities with global objectives like the Sustainable Development Goals. The committee receives delegations from accession countries including Turkey, Serbia, and North Macedonia and coordinates with the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development on financing instruments.
Critics have targeted BUDG for perceived politicisation during negotiations between the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, disputes over rebates like those associated with the United Kingdom prior to Brexit, and controversies surrounding budget lines for contentious programmes such as the European Defence Fund and conditionality mechanisms linked to the Rule of Law debates involving Poland and Hungary. Allegations concerning transparency in trilogue negotiations have involved scrutiny by NGOs such as Transparency International and media outlets including Politico Europe and Euractiv. Audit findings from the European Court of Auditors on irregular expenditures, combined with debates over the Next Generation EU recovery package and allocations under Horizon Europe, have provoked political disputes among groups like the European People's Party and Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats.