The EU budget continued to deliver and respond to crises in 2024

The EU budget delivered results on key priorities and responded to crises in 2024, according to the Commission's Annual Management and Performance Report (AMPR).

In 2024, among many achievements, the EU budget supported the green and digital transitions, contributed to strengthening EU defence capabilities, provided unwavering support to Ukraine, and helped respond to the humanitarian crisis in the Middle East. A significant share of these results was made possible by the historic mid-term revision of the long-term EU budget in February 2024, which included for the first time the revision of expenditure ceilings.

In addition, the Commission's report on the first year of operation of the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP), released today, is showcasing the added-value of the EU budget in promoting growth and innovation.

The EU budget shows good results in challenging times

The AMPR shows that last year, EU funds continued to play a crucial role:

• Roughly 32% of the combined EU budget and NextGenerationEU supported climate action, 7.6% supported biodiversity, 9.2% supported the digital transition, and around 19% of the EU budget helped advancing gender equality.
• Cohesion Policy continued to drive regional development and research and innovation across the Union, even more so following the mid-term review for Cohesion.
• Moreover, in 2024, the Common Agricultural Policy supported people and competitiveness, helping to stabilise farming income, and creating around 200 000 jobs. The largest contribution supported young farmers.
• In 2024 alone, the Ukraine Facility provided €4.77 billion in non-repayable support, and €13.1 billion in loans to Ukraine. NextGenerationEU continued to support economic recovery and reforms in all Member States. The Commission disbursed a total of €85.3 billion, out of which €29.4 billion was in the form of loans, based on the fulfilment of key milestones and targets under the Recovery and Resilience Facility.

All of these achievements, and further information on the EU financial programmes, are presented in the Programme Performance Statements.

However, the current long-term budget is rapidly approaching its limits, as set out in the Commission's Communication on the road to the new multiannual financial framework. The EU budget must keep pace with a changing world, and hence the Commission will submit its proposals for the post-2027 multiannual financial framework in the upcoming weeks.

The EU budget is transparent and well protected

The Commission attaches great importance to making the best possible use of taxpayers' money, and to protect it against errors, fraud or breaches of the principles of the rule of law.

For this purpose, the Commission has robust tools, including:

•    appropriate and proportionate measures proposed by the Commission through the Conditionality Regulation in cases of rule of law breaches in a given Member State, threatening the EU financial interests;
•   a solid internal control framework, designed to provide reasonable assurance on the Commission's objectives, including the effectiveness and efficiency of operations, reliability of reporting, and safeguarding of assets;
•   a reinforced Financial Regulation since September 2024, including improvements for beneficiaries of EU funding, ensuring readiness to react in case of crisis, and a better protecting and transparent EU budget.

The Commission also issues its annual report for STEP

In parallel to the Annual Management and Performance Report, the European Commission has published its first annual report for the  Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP). During its first year of operations, it mobilised over €10 billion in EU public funding towards digital technologies and deep-tech innovation, as well as clean and resource-efficient technologies and biotechnologies.

In particular, €4.6 billion were invested under five funds the Commission manages  (Horizon Europe, the Innovation Fund, the European Defence Fund, the Digital Europe Programme, and EU4Health), and €5.9 billion were reprogrammed by EU Member States and regions from their EU Cohesion Policy Funds. These amounts are on the rise and will benefit SMEs, larger companies, research entities, and start-ups.

Building on this excellent momentum, the Commission proposed in April 2025 that STEP be extended to defence technologies. Negotiations are to start in the European Parliament and Council.

Background

The Annual Management and Performance Report is an accountability and communication tool, through which the Commission takes overall political responsibility for the management of the EU budget, showing the results achieved with the EU budget and financial management achievements.

The report is published as part of the Integrated Financial and Accountability Reporting package, which also contains the annual report on the follow-up of the discharge, the Commission's report on internal audits carried out in 2024, the cash flow forecast, and the consolidated annual accounts. The report is the Commission's contribution to the 2024 discharge procedure.

The European Commission collaborates closely with Member States and other partners to make sure the EU budget is spent efficiently, free from fraud and irregularities, and in line with the EU's policy goals to benefit citizens and achieve tangible results.

For More Information

Annual Management and Performance Reports

2024 Annual Report on the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP)

Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform

Press Release for the Commission's Communication “The Road to the Next Multiannual Financial Framework”

Quote(s)

The EU budget in 2024 again showed that it can support the main priorities of the European Union and respond to emergencies when needed. The EU budget remains a powerful tool. However, 2024 also showed that we need to find ways to make our budget more responsive and flexible, while maintaining the necessary predictability for long-term investments. We will take the lessons learned from this into account when proposing the next long-term EU budget on 16 July 2025.

Piotr Serafin, Commissioner for Budget, Anti-Fraud and Public Administration