Adequate funding is the cornerstone of any policy or legal action aimed at achieving transformative change. In this sense, poverty cannot be eradicated without adequate financial and budgetary tools as core components of broader systemic and structural strategies.
On 16 July 2025, the European Commission launched its proposal for the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), the EU’s long-term budget, for 2028–2034. By establishing annual expenditure ceilings across major policy areas for a seven-year period, the MFF plays a decisive role in aligning the Union’s political priorities with the financial resources necessary to deliver them.
Without an MFF that is deliberately and strategically focused on protecting social rights, the objective of eradicating poverty by 2050, as set out by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, risks remaining window dressing rather than becoming an achievable reality.
Likewise, without clearly defined, targeted, and adequately resourced budget lines and financial instruments in the next MFF, the forthcoming EU Anti-Poverty Strategy, as well as the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR) Action Plan 2026–2030, will have only limited impact.