The Party of European Socialists has called for the European Union’s next long-term budget to put people, jobs and public services at its heart, warning against cuts that could weaken Europe’s shared ambitions.
The PES Multiannual Financial Framework Working Group has set out a progressive case for the next EU budget, arguing that it should support quality jobs, affordable housing, stronger public services, climate action and long-term investment in Europe’s future.
Writing on X, the Party of European Socialists said:
“Europe needs a budget that delivers for people.”
It added:
“The PES MFF Working Group is calling for an EU budget that invests in quality jobs, affordable housing, public services, climate action and Europe’s future. No cuts to our shared ambitions.”
The Multiannual Financial Framework, or MFF, sets the EU’s spending priorities over a number of years and determines how funding is allocated across major areas including regional development, employment, infrastructure, research, agriculture and climate programmes. PES leaders have argued that the next framework must put people first.
The PES intervention reflects growing debate across Europe over how the next budget should balance fiscal pressures with the need to invest in growth, social cohesion and economic resilience.
For centre-left parties, one of the central arguments is that Europe cannot meet major challenges — from housing shortages and weak productivity to climate change and industrial competition — through spending cuts alone.
The PES is instead pushing for a budget that helps create secure employment, supports communities and strengthens the public services people rely on.
Affordable housing is also emerging as a major priority for social democratic parties across Europe, with rising rents and house prices placing increasing pressure on families and younger people in many cities.
The group’s call for continued climate investment also reflects a wider argument that the green transition should be accompanied by industrial policy, skills investment and good-quality jobs.
The message from the PES is that Europe’s next financial framework should be judged not simply by the size of the budget, but by whether it improves people’s everyday lives and strengthens the continent’s long-term economic and social resilience.
With negotiations over the EU’s future spending priorities intensifying, European socialists are making the case for investment over retrenchment — and for a budget centred on jobs, homes, services and opportunity.
