The Multiannual Financial Framework 2014–20 – Best European Value for Less Money?

The eurozone crisis has made budgetary issues the focal point of political and public debates about the European Union. Besides the pessimistic context and conflictive nature of the ongoing negotiation of the multiannual financial framework 2014–20, there seems to be a common ground to work towards an EU Budget that contributes to growth and employment in line with the Europe 2020 strategy. If this common understanding materialises, then this would not only be a major step to convert the budget into an instrument to overcome the crisis but also change the nature of the communitarian budget. In this article, I analyse the principal conflictive topics as well as the negotiation positions and proposals of the main actors in order to present the current state of the negotiation of the MFF 2014–20. I will specifically analyse the preferences of the main actors