How The EU Budget Is Spent

The EU budget corresponds to around 1% of the Union’s gross national income (or 2% of total public spending in the EU) and its impact on the economy is debated, with many analysts deeming it relatively small in size in comparison with the wide range of policy areas in which the EU has responsibilities. The European Commission notes that the EU budget is different in nature and function from national budgets, since it is mainly an investment budget with a focus on measures with a European added value.

For those interested in knowing more about the EU budget, the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) has launched a new series of publications on ‘How the EU budget is spent’. The aim is to give a concise overview of the key features of each major EU spending programme and fund for 2014-20, including: the role of the EU in the policy area, objectives, budgetary figures, eligible measures, funded projects and assessment of results.