The CEC, together with 68 European networks and 288 national organisations from 32 countries, calls on EU institutions to protect and strengthen key social funding instruments. Under the EUFunds4Social coalition, the CEC urges decision-makers to safeguard a strong and standalone European Social Fund (ESF) and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
A crucial moment for the EU budget
The EU’s long-term budget, known as the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), sets spending priorities for a seven-year period. The current framework allocates nearly €2 trillion between 2021 and 2027, with the ESF+ and ERDF playing a central role in supporting employment, education, and social inclusion across Europe.
With the current cycle ending in 2027, the European Commission presented its proposals last summer for the next MFF (2028–2034). A key feature of the proposal is a major restructuring of EU funding, including the merging of several programmes—such as ESF+ and ERDF—into broader National and Regional Partnership Plans.
The proposals are now under negotiation by both the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, each working to define their positions.
Civil society mobilises
In response, the EUFunds4Social coalition was established to ensure that the voices of organisations delivering social support on the ground are heard. The coalition represents those who translate EU funding into concrete initiatives, particularly for people at risk of exclusion.
The group has now released its fourth joint statement, outlining key demands to ensure that social investment remains at the heart of the next EU budget.
Key demands from the coalition
The coalition calls on the European Parliament and the Council to:
- Secure strong, dedicated budgets for the ESF and ERDF, at least matching current levels and adjusted for inflation, and ensure funding is provided through grants;
- Maintain the ESF as the EU’s primary instrument for people-centred investment, aligned with key frameworks such as the European Pillar of Social Rights, the EU Anti-Poverty Strategy, and the Social Economy Action Plan;
- Preserve existing funding earmarks for social inclusion, child poverty, material deprivation, youth employment, and capacity-building for civil society and social partners;
- Strengthen the partnership principle across all EU funds, ensuring meaningful participation of social actors at every level of governance;
- Reinstate and enforce enabling conditions to guarantee that EU investments respect fundamental rights, including the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities;
- Improve access to funding for small non-profit organisations through simplified procedures, reduced reporting requirements, stable pre-financing, adequate co-financing, and the creation of national helpdesks.
Read the full statement here
