The MFF Explained

Key questions and answers on the Multiannual Financial Framework and EU Budget Navigator.

The Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) sets the size of the EU budget and its spending priorities for seven years, making it one of the most politically contested topics in the EU. This page provides a concise introduction to the EU budget and the negotiatoins shaping the 2028-34 MFF.

For a more in-depth analysis of the MFF and the ongoing negotiations, see our publications.

What is the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF)?

How does the MFF relate to the annual EU budget?

How is the MFF structured – what are headings, programmes, and programme components?

What is the difference between commitments and payments?

What is the difference between current and constant (2025) prices?

What are ceilings in the MFF and the Own Resources Decision (ORD)?

Which types of funding are included in the EU Budget Navigator?

Why are the Crisis Instrument, Catalyst Europe and NGEU loans not included in the charts?

What is direct, shared, and indirect management?

How is the EU budget financed?

What is NextGenerationEU (NGEU) and why does its repayment matter for the next MFF?

How is the MFF negotiated and who decides?

Why are there different versions of an MFF in the Navigator and what is a Negotiating Box?