EPR joins the EUFunds4Social Coalition’s statement calling for a strong social EU budget

EPR joins the EUFunds4Social Coalition’s statement calling for a strong social EU budget

On 16 March 2026, EPR, together with 68 European networks and 288 national organisations from 32 countries, called for a strong social EU budget in a joint statement of the EUFunds4Social Coalition.

The statement explains how the new Multiannual Financial Framework 2028-2034 proposed in July 2025 (as explained in a previous article here) introduces the proposal to create the National and Regional Partnership (NRP) Plans, which bring together the European Social Fund + (ESF+), European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), and Common Agricultural Policies (CAP), and asylum, migration and integration, and border management under single national frameworks. The Plans are established under the NRPP Regulation, which also includes EU Facility and Interreg funds for crisis response and transnational cooperation.

In this statement, the Coalition assessed the European Commission’s recent proposal for the next long-term EU budget, based on these 8 success factors, with a specific focus on the NRPPs.

The Coalition underlines how, overall, the NRPP and related instruments, as currently designed, risk being a step backwards compared to the existing Cohesion Policy framework. This is particularly concerning in light of the proposed financial envelope: the €100 billion guaranteed for social spending could appear, at first glance, to be an increase. Yet in practice, it represents less in real terms once inflation is considered, and it would need to cover not only “traditional” ESF+ investments, which had a budget of €95.8 billion in the current period, but also additional areas under its social target.

Concretely, the proposal represents a shift away from the guarantees that previously protected investment in people. There is no longer a dedicated budget line for the European Social Fund, no earmarking for social inclusion, and no binding direction on how Member States should allocate their social spending, and no more direct connections between the regions’ Managing Authorities and the European Commission. Provisions that once secured social funding, such as the 25% minimum for social inclusion or the 5% for the Child Guarantee, and 3% material deprivation measures are not maintained. The proposed 14% target on social spending is spread across many different priorities, and up to 40% of infrastructure investments (such as schools, hospitals, or housing) can be counted towards it. These costs were previously covered by the ERDF, not the ESF, which means that the actual guaranteed resources available for direct investment in people and social inclusion will be even smaller. This creates the risk of having to achieve more with fewer resources, without clear safeguards to ensure that those most in need will benefit, at a time when many social actors continue to face chronic underfunding.

At the same time, the framework is not inherently limiting. Member States with a commitment to social inclusion could use this flexibility to go far beyond the 14% target, mobilising additional resources, engaging local actors, and achieving transformative impacts for communities. The problem lies in the absence of binding safeguards: those unwilling to prioritise social investment can still do the bare minimum, leaving vulnerable populations at risk.

To further promote this joint statement an event was organised at the European Parliament on 22 April, where the statement’s key points were presented, and in which organisations and governments at the national and local level implementing the ESF+ and ERDF on the ground shared their experiences, underlining the importance of maintaining strong social and regional cohesion funding in the upcoming MFF. The event also served as a platform to disseminate the statement’s key messages among the EU institutions, including the European Parliament (with the participation of 3 Members of the European Parliament, MEPs), and the European Commission.

Statement signed by EPR “Building on what works: an EU budget that delivers for people and regions” available here.