MEPs Mureşan and Tavares head to Finland on 10-11 September to discuss the EU’s next long-term budget and see how EU funding supports security, research and innovation.
Parliament’s co-rapporteurs on the EU’s long-term budget Siegfried Mureşan (EPP, Romania) and Carla Tavares (S&D, Portugal) will be in Finland on Thursday and Friday (10-11 September) to discuss the multiannual financial framework (MFF) with government and parliamentary officials, and visit sites and projects that are supported by EU funding.
The co-rapporteurs will visit the Vaalimaa Border Station in Eastern Finland and the following day in Helsinki they will meet with the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Sari Essayah, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Juha Majanen and the Grand Committee of the Finnish Parliament. MEPs will also visit the state-owned VTT Research Centre, a research and technology organisation which is an active participant in EU research and innovation programmes
Quotes
“In Finland, we will seek common ground with government and parliamentary officials on an EU budget that strengthens people’s security while also supporting other key EU priorities, such as competitiveness, innovation and investments. At the border with Russia, we will see first-hand the security challenges the future EU budget must address,” said Siegfried Mureşan (EPP, Romania), co-rapporteur for the MFF.
“We stand at an important juncture as the EU decides on the 2028-2034 long-term budget shaping Europe's direction. We are aware that a larger EU budget can raise questions in Finland. Its 1,340km border with Russia gives Finland a particular perspective on security, which is why the budget makes security and defence a central priority. We are committed to protecting dedicated EU funding for agriculture, fisheries and sparsely populated regions – supporting Finland's family farms, forestry communities and coastal fishing sector.
Mindful of Finland's emphasis on fiscal discipline, Parliament proposes keeping NextGenerationEU debt repayment separate from programme spending, financed through new own resources – a digital services levy, an online gambling levy, an extended carbon border adjustment mechanism and a levy on crypto-asset gains – so major digital platforms and other contributors help fund shared priorities.
Finland is one of the Union's most constructive and pragmatic voices: careful with resources, serious about security, committed to accountability. Parliament’s position is about ensuring that the EU budget reflects these principles more strongly at European level,” said Carla Tavares (S&D, Portugal), co-rapporteur for the MFF.
Background
Parliament adopted its position on the 2028-2034 EU long-term budget in April 2026, proposing a €1.78 trillion budget (2025 prices), or 1.27% of EU GNI, with debt servicing for the NextGenerationEU (NGEU) recovery fund outside the MFF ceilings. Parliament proposes a moderate, justified and realistic, approximately 10% increase in funding for key EU programmes and underlines the need for new genuine own resources. A larger overall figure does not necessariy translate into a proportionally greater burden for indiviual member states once the effects of inflation, the growth of the EU economy and the budget’s purchasing power are taken into account. For the 2028-2034 budget to be adopted, the Council needs to reach unanimity and secure the consent of an absolute majority of Parliament.
To get in touch with the MEPs, please contact the press officers in Helsinki, Roosa Purhonen, at +358 40 3510264 / roosa.purhonen@europarl.europa.eu or Pia Siitonen at +358 40 7205025 / pia.siitonen@europarl.europa.eu .