A Statement from the PREPARE Network on the EU’s Proposed MFF 2028–2034
18 July 2025
The PREPARE Network expresses its concern over the direction outlined by the European Commission for the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2028–2034.
The European Commission invited all Europeans to share their views on the next EU budget and the policies it should support, through a series of public consultations open until 6 May 2025. However, upon reviewing the new MFF proposal, it has become clear that the Commission has disregarded the feedback and proposals that were submitted.
The recently unveiled structure of the MFF sets the stage for a critical transformation in how European funds will be organised and delivered. While full details on funding allocations and legal instruments are still expected, the architecture already presented sends mixed and uncertain signals for the future of rural development.
In the new proposal, rural communities and rural development appear to have been sidelined. There is no ring-fenced budget for LEADER/CLLD in the current structure – neither in the official announcements nor in the legislative drafts we have been able to review. This is alarming. Without a mandatory earmarking mechanism, Member States could choose not to implement LEADER at all. Even when rural development is positively referenced, there is a serious risk that it could be absorbed into a vast, undifferentiated pool of national priorities, losing its targeted and community-led nature.
Published legal drafts suggest the creation of a new umbrella fund to finance National and Regional Partnership Plans. In principle, this is a promising instrument – combining multiple funding streams into a single strategic plan can improve coherence. However, without a clearly defined framework for rural development, who will guarantee that the voice of rural people will be heard, and that the process will include a strong and unified civil society?
Therefore, the PREPARE Network calls on the European Commission and Members of the European Parliament to:
-
Make participatory rural development tools mandatory across all EU Member States
-
Ensure sustained funding and structural support for rural movements and networks at local, national, and EU levels, acknowledging their crucial role in fostering bottom-up development, civil society engagement, and genuine rural representation in policymaking
-
Expand and strengthen the LEADER/CLLD approach so it is fully aligned with core EU priorities
-
Guarantee that the next MFF explicitly includes LEADER/CLLD in major EU strategic frameworks
-
Ensure reinforced support for LEADER/CLLD in candidate and pre-accession countries, helping build strong local governance and inclusive rural development beyond the EU’s borders
This is a defining moment. The architecture of the next MFF must not overlook or dilute the value of community-led approaches. Rural Europe cannot afford to be left behind – not in budgetary priorities, not in political discourse, and not in shaping the future of the European Union.