New priorities?

Comparing the 2014-2020 framework with projected numbers for 2021-2027, in €BN (Source: European Commission, May 2018 draft).

Europe’s next budget appears to focus more on defending Europeans against external threats, whether geopolitical or economical, rather than on internal cohesion. Programmes to reinforce research and innovative capabilities (+€21,2BN), border management systems (+€13,3BN) or defence architecture (+€22,3BN) are receiving special treatment. The same cannot be inferred for cohesion funds: social programmes, territorial cohesion and agricultural support are prioritized for cuts in the next 2021-2027 budget. This orientation is a clear shift from post-Cold war and Eastern enlargement practices.