Against the backdrop of the review of the EU budget currently in progress, this paper revisits the academic literature on multi-level public finance and analyses to what extent theory can inform the discussion on budget reform. The answer may seem dis-heartening, in so far as the exploration...

This policy brief evaluates the backdrop to the European Commission’s proposals for the EU’s coming seven-year budget round, or Multi-annual Financial Framework. As usual, the negotiations are a careful balancing act between net contributors to the EU budget and its main beneficiaries and...