Today, the Council formally adopted the EU budget for 2026. This budget is the outcome of negotiations with the European Parliament that led to an agreement on November 15, 2025, announces the European institution that unites the Member States of the Union in a statement.
The total for commitments is set at 192.8 billion euros, and the total for payments is 190.1 billion euros.
In the European budget, commitments are the maximum amount the Union can pledge to spend on programs and projects, while payments represent the money actually paid out during the year.
Today’s approval also considers an amount of 715.7 million euros as a margin below the maximum expenditure limits of the current Multiannual Financial Framework to allow the EU to react to unforeseen circumstances, according to the EU Council.
The budget will be finally approved after its adoption by the European Parliament, which is scheduled for this Wednesday.
This is the sixth annual budget under the EU’s long-term budget, the Multiannual Financial Framework for 2021-2027.
