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 budget2, 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 Leyen3, 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.
According to the Porto Targets, the EU has committed to reducing poverty by 15 million people by 2030, including 5 million children. As the next MFF will coincide with this deadline, and current data indicate that the objective is still far from being met5, the new funding period 2028–2034 will be crucial in providing the resources needed to achieve this goal.
In addition, through the MFF, the EU plays a vital role in supporting national and local grassroots organisations that work every day alongside people experiencing poverty, particularly those facing the most severe forms of marginalisation. The crucial work of civil society organisations to alleviate poverty and hardship must be upheld and safeguarded by the MFF, especially at a time when the return of austerity policies and the deregulation of social rights in many Member States are threatening the survival of these essential projects.
EAPN
The European Anti-Poverty Network
