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On 18 July 2025, in Brussels, Artjoms Uršuļskis, Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, participated in the meeting of the General Affairs Council of the European Union (EU), where the initial exchange of views was held on the European Commission’s proposal for the EU’s post-2027 long-term budget, published on 16 July.
The Parliamentary Secretary pointed out that an ambitious EU multiannual financial framework is needed that would cover both traditional EU policies and new challenges.
“We see the overall budget proposed by the European Commission as a good starting point for discussions, taking into account current needs. We also appreciate that funding for security and defence and connecting Europe has increased significantly, and long-term support is envisaged for Ukraine. In turn, there is still a lot of uncertainty regarding the allocations to Member States. We are sceptical about the merger of the Cohesion and Common Agricultural Policies, and we also have come to a conclusion that current proposals do not adequately reflect the disproportionate socio-economic impact of the war in Ukraine on the countries bordering Russia and Belarus,” the Parliamentary Secretary Artjoms Uršuļskis underlined in a discussion on the European Commission’s proposal for the EU long-term budget after 2027.
The proposal for the next EU long-term budget, published by the European Commission on 16 July, will serve as the basis for further discussions between the Member States. The final decision will be taken by consensus of the Member States and subject to the consent of the European Parliament. An in-depth evaluation of the proposal is currently underway.
The General Affairs Council deals with matters that affect more than one EU policy, such as negotiations on EU enlargement, preparations for the European Council, the EU multiannual financial framework, as well as the rule of law, institutional and administrative issues.