EU leaders are meeting today to discuss a common position on the next Multiannual Finance Framework (MFF), following a proposal by the European Commission which civil society warns risks significantly weakening EU social funding in the years to come. In an open letter to the EU leaders, over 250 European and national organisations warn that the European Commission’s proposal, in its current form, will weaken the EU’s ability to support people and regions most in need. Instead, these organisations recommend that the European Council strengthen the European Social Fund (ESF+) and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as more suitable and effective tools to direct EU investment into people and regions most in need.

At a decisive moment for the post-2027 budget, the choices made now will shape the everyday realities of millions of people, determining whether the EU can effectively support those most in need. The  open letter has been launched by the EUFunds4Social Coalition ahead of the European Council meeting and their discussion on the EU budget.

“ESF+ and ERDF are not perfect, but have widely proven to be very effective funding models for social investment and innovation”, said Thomas Bignal, EASPD Secretary General. “Their strength lies in their architecture: targeted investment for those most at risk of exclusion, strong partnerships with civil society and local actors, clear earmarking for social priorities, and space for innovation rooted in local community needs and dynamics. The EU Commission’s proposal is very far from this. In the days to come, the Council now has the opportunity to bring the discussions back on the right track. The simplest, most effective, way to do it is by bringing back a strong, independent ESF and ERDF.”  

These concerns come at a critical moment in the negotiations. In recent days, the Cypriot Presidency has published the “negotiating box”, the starting position for negotiating the EU budget, and a first agreement has also been reached on the National and Regional Partnership Plans (NRPPs). The Council’s position broadly supports the Commission proposal with a slight reduction in the overall MFF budget. It also supports the NRPP structure, maintaining the same financial envelope and the share of social spending, with no ESF+ carve-out, and calls for even greater flexibility and national discretion in implementation. 

Against this backdrop, signatories call on EU leaders to ensure the next MFF strengthens the EU’s social through the following elements:

• Increase in the share of social spending in National and Regional Partnership Plans from 14% to 25%,  linked to the European Pillar of Social Rights;
• Preservation of the ESF+ and ERDF as stand-alone funds, with dedicated budgets and separate rules, ensuring stable long-term investment, and clear roles for each fund;
• Safeguarding of key ESF+ allocations to social inclusion, child poverty, homelessness and youth employment, as well as support for social partners and civil society;
• Securing dedicated funding for social innovation and civil society cooperation, including continuity of the current EaSI strand within a ring-fenced EU facility;
• Strengthening rights-based implementation in line with the European Pillar of Social Rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, backed by robust monitoring;
• Reinforcing partnership-based governance, with a stronger role for local and regional authorities and full application of the partnership principle;
• Improving access for smaller organisations through simpler procedures, capacity building, and sustainable co-financing requirements.

The launch of the open letter is part of a broader and sustained mobilisation of civil society across Europe. Coalition members will continue to engage with EU institutions, Member States and Members of the European Parliament in the coming weeks to ensure that social investment remains a central pillar of the next EU budget.

As Sarah de Heusch, president of Social Economy Europe noted: “The outcome of these negotiations will determine whether citizens continue to see the European Union at work in their everyday lives, through quality jobs, skills development, and community-based support delivered by social economy actors, or whether it becomes a distant promise that fails to translate into tangible improvements.” 

“To tackle Europe's deepening social inequalities and growing social challenges, EU funding must remain at the heart of the response. EU investments that strengthen quality social services and create opportunities to close social, territorial and economic gaps are fundamental to upholding access to social rights and inclusion for all”, added Laura de Bonfils, Secretary General of the Social Platform.

The EUFunds4Social Coalition brings together European social services, NGOs, public health and service providers, lifelong learning and social economy actors, workers, and social partners. It represents millions of organisations, enterprises, and people, including those most excluded in society. Since March 2025, its actions aim to ensure social investment is strengthened, not weakened, in the next EU budget. The priority is ensuring that higher social spending is secured, and resources earmarked in particular for supporting the inclusion of disadvantaged people through the next EU budget.

The open letter is supported by 252 organisations, including 56 European networks and 196 national, regional and local organisations. Read the letter here.

Supporting Documents

The Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU presents a mature and revised Negotiating Box for the new MFF

MFF 2028-2034: Council backs simpler and more efficient financing for key EU priorities

Joint Statement: Building on what works: an EU budget that delivers for people and regions

Joint Statement: “100 billion Euros for social spending? The devil’s in the details"

Joint Statement “Time for Ambition: The EU needs a strong Social Fund to live up to its commitments”

Joint statement: “Keep what works: 8 success factors for a future ESF+”

European Commission – what is the ESF+? 

EU Funds for Social Services Helpdesk project

EU funds for social services: technical guidance on effective interventions 

MEPs demand a strengthened and separate European Social Fund Plus post-2027 

For more information, please contact:

Irene Bertana

Interim Head of Knowledge and Innovation, EASPD

irene.bertana@easpd.eu

Note to editors:

The European Association of Service providers for Persons with Disabilities is a non-profit European umbrella organisation, established in 1996, and currently representing over 20,000 social and health services for persons with disabilities. EASPD advocates effective and high-quality disability-related services in the field of education, employment and individualised support, in line with the UN CRPD principles, which could bring benefits not only to persons with disabilities, but to society as a whole.