EU budget 2023 to amount to 168.7 billion euros

Source: Energy & Management Powernews, November 16 2022

Research on climate-friendly technologies, investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency projects: A large part of the EU budget is to flow into the energy transition.

The European Parliament and the Council of Ministers have agreed in the night to 15 November on the budget of the EU for 2023. Next year, the EU may thus spend 168.7 billion euros.

This is one percent more than in the current budget year. The legislative bodies thus followed shortly before the expiry of the agreement period the budget estimate of the EU Commission, which is characterized primarily by higher spending for the consequences of the Ukraine crisis. In negotiations with the member states, the Parliament was able to push through reallocations amounting to a good one billion euros.

So more funds will be made available for the Horizon Europe, Life and Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) programs. The Horizon program will also fund research projects in the field of climate-friendly technologies. The Life program supports, among other things, the use of renewable energies, the improvement of energy efficiency and projects of climate-friendly agriculture.

In the CEF, around 5 billion euros will be made available for the expansion of cross-border energy infrastructure in the 2021-27 funding period. Here, the Commission's share for 2023 has been increased from 859 to 902 million euros. This means that 7.3 percent more funding will be available in this program next year than in the current budget year.

In terms of payment commitments, a ceiling of 186.6 billion euros was agreed. Additional commitments are foreseen next year mainly for Ukraine and Moldova, as well as for asylum and migration policy.

The budget still has to be approved by the Council of Ministers and the plenary of the Parliament.

Author: Tom Weingärtner