National and Regional Partnership Plans: statements by lead MEPs

On Monday, MEPs and Commissioners held a meeting to launch the parliamentary work on the proposal for National and Regional Partnership Plans regulation.

The budgets, regional development and agriculture committees discussed a Commission proposal to combine regional, agricultural and other funds into national “envelopes” (so-called national and regional partnership plans) in the 2028-2034 EU budget (MFF) with Commission Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto (Cohesion and Reforms), and Commissioners Piotr Serafin (Budget) and Christophe Hansen (Agriculture) on Monday 19 January. You can re-watch the debate here.

Karlo Ressler (EPP, Croatia), rapporteur for the Committee on Budgets, said: "We begin the legislative work on the regulation that will shape how nearly half of the next EU budget is managed. By merging diverse policy areas – from fisheries and food security to border management and social policy into single national plans, the proposal represents the most far-reaching shift in EU fund management to date and one of the most politically and strategically sensitive elements of the new MFF. This is why it will be a true make-or-break point.”

Andrey Novakov (EPP, Bulgaria), rapporteur for the Committee on Regional Development, said: “€780 billion under the National and Regional Partnership Plans represents EU’s soft power. But the European Parliament needs to ensure that the plans are more regional than national, more cohesive than divisive, more flexible than restrictive. It is time to co-write the rules with the regions, cities and rural areas on board. In a world of disorder, the EU’s regional policy is a safe haven for communities, cities and rural areas because investment is appreciated when it is needed. Because the EU is cherished and remembered when it is there."

Elsi Katainen (Renew, Finland), rapporteur for the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, said: “We are on the verge of discussing significant legislation, as this proposal contains around 44 percent of the overall MFF budget and the change for the usual structure of the MFF is significant. For me, it is important to ensure the continuation of funding for agriculture and rural development. First and foremost, the funding for the future CAP needs to be at least maintained at the level of the current Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) funding in real terms. In addition, the programs implemented through the first and second pillars of the current common agricultural policy needs to be secured.

“I hope that we will have open and compromise-oriented negotiations, where we truly look for large consensus within the Parliament.”

Background

The proposal was tabled by the Commission on 16 July 2025 as part of the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2028-2034.

In parallel to its work on the sectoral proposals, Parliament is also preparing an interim report ahead of negotiations with member states’ governments on the Commission’s proposal for the next EU long-term budget, which is expected to adopted during the 25-29 May 2026 plenary session.