Raouna: The General Affairs Council (GAC), under the Cyprus Presidency, reached a partial negotiating position on Tuesday on the regulation establishing the National and Regional Partnership Plans (NRPPs) - one of the key pillars of the new Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2028-2034. The agreements reached at the GAC point towards "the objective of reaching an overall agreement on the MFF by the end of 2026, which is one of the main priorities of the Cyprus Presidency," Deputy Minister for European Affairs Marilena Raouna stressed, welcoming today's development.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the new framework mandates each member state to prepare a single, comprehensive plan that replaces the current separate programmes for cohesion policy, agriculture, fisheries, migration, security, and the Social Climate Fund. The position is considered "partial" as it does not yet cover the financial and horizontal aspects of the proposal, which remain under negotiation as part of the broader MFF package.
In a written statement, Raouna welcomed the development, highlighting the intensive and transparent efforts by the Cyprus Presidency on the three MFF files discussed by ministers. "The agreements reached today will allow us to move forward towards the goal of achieving an overall agreement on the MFF by the end of 2026, which is one of the key priorities of the Cyprus Presidency," she stated.
The Deputy Minister emphasized that the NRPPs consolidate all shared-management funding for cohesion, agriculture, fisheries, and home affairs under a single architecture, enabling the EU "to respond more effectively to national, regional, and local challenges through reforms and investments." Additionally, the GAC approved negotiating positions on the European Competitiveness Fund (ECF) and the new "Global Europe" instrument.
Raouna noted that the European Competitiveness Fund aligns with recommendations from reports by Mario Draghi and Enrico Letta on enhancing Europe's competitiveness, while the "Global Europe" instrument aims to make EU external action more flexible, preserving predictability and the Council's ability to provide strategic direction.
The proposed implementation framework for the NRPPs involves financing each plan through nationally pre-allocated budget envelopes, developed through close partnership between national, regional, and local authorities. Funding will be released by the European Commission upon the achievement of agreed milestones and targets and will remain subject to horizontal conditions linked to fundamental rights and the rule of law.
The Council's position also enhances the role of regions and provides Member States with greater flexibility in designing and implementing their plans. The partial negotiating position agreed by the GAC constitutes the Council's mandate to begin trilogue negotiations with the European Parliament on the NRPP regulation.
The overall funding envelope for the 2028-2034 period will depend on the final agreement on the MFF as a whole. EU institutions have stressed the importance of reaching an agreement within 2026, as this would allow the timely adoption of the necessary legislative acts in 2027 and ensure that funding reaches beneficiaries without interruption from January 2028.