Supporting democracy … without democracy!

That’s how I would sum up the European budget proposal presented on 16 July.

The presentation of the budget structure came as a flood of legislative texts that left a general sense of confusion about where we are headed and what is really in the European project. The dominant message is that we need to invest in security, recognise the diverse nature of threats, allow maximum flexibility in spending, and, above all, let each Member State choose its own path. This suggests a major shift towards renationalisation, not just of the Common Agricultural Policy, once a cornerstone of the EU, but also of the cohesion policy itself. But how can we promote cohesion while encouraging fragmentation? It all seems rather contradictory.

The good news is… At least 35% of the budget must be allocated to environmental and climate goals (including nuclear energy), under a new principle of “climate resilience by design.” Significant investment in energy infrastructure is therefore planned, especially for cross-border interconnections. 

Regional transformation may be financed by the Competitiveness Fund, provided it is innovative. However, it has yet to become the foundation of a new vision of prosperity that only clean technologies can deliver.

Until now, the European project has focused on large-scale investment in convergence, allowing all regions to benefit from innovation and mutual learning. The Interreg program will continue, but little has been said about other initiatives.

Instead, the cohesion pillar seems to have been melded into a broader “Fund,” to be distributed through national budgets. So how will priorities be set? How will local needs be voiced? What selection criteria will apply? Will it all come down to negotiations between national Budget Ministries of each Member State and the European Commission? …

The questions are piling up, and for now, hopes rest on the outcome of the negotiations ahead.