In 2020, the EU agreed a €2.0 trillion economic response to support the recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and build a greener, more digital and more resilient future. At the heart of it is the EU budget. To finance part of this response – the NextGenerationEU recovery instrument of some €800 billion – the European Commission, on behalf of the EU, will borrow on the capital markets.
Fast forward to 2021, the EU first borrowing transactions are already a reality. The funds under the 2021-2027 long-term budget and NextGenerationEU are starting to flow to the EU countries, regions, municipalities and companies, helping make Europe’s economy better fit for the future. New own resources for the EU budget will be proposed in 2021.
The new responsibilities of the EU budget are raising major questions about its changing role today and in the future.
To take stock of the ongoing reflection and shape the future debate, the European Commission is hosting the conference "The EU budget and NextGenerationEU: fireworks or big bang?". The event will take place on 8 November 2021. It will bring together policy-makers, research organisations, capital market participants and citizens in a lively online discussion on:
- How fit is the EU budget to address the challenges ahead of the EU?
- NextGenerationEU as a game changer on the capital markets – making it happen.
- New revenue to the EU budget – why does it matter?
- Bringing policy ambition at the heart of the EU budget – how to make the green and digital transitions happen?
Interested to join the debate and have your say about the changing role of the EU budget?
The event has ended and you are now invited to watch the recorded video. The timeline below will help you navigate through the video.
Have a look at the photos and videos of the event
Agenda
- 09:50 - 10:00
- 10:00 - 10:15
Keynote address: The EU Budget at the centre of policy delivery
Ursula von der Leyen, President, European Commission
- 10:15 - 11:15
The EU as an issuer: challenges and opportunities
Moderator: Rebecca Christie, Bruegel Fellow
Panellists:
Christian Sewing, CEO of Deutsche Bank
Gert Jan Koopman, Director-General for Budget, European Commission
Sylvain Broyer, S&P Chief Economist, EMEA
Elena Carletti, Professor of Finance, Bocconi University, Department of Finance - 11:30 - 12:30
New own resources empowering the EU budget
Moderator: Gert Jan Koopman, Director-General for Budget, European Commission
Introductory speech: Nadia Calviño, Vice-President and Minister for Economy and Digitalisation, Spain
Panellists:
Nadia Calviño, Vice-President and Minister for Economy and Digitalisation, Spain
Clément Beaune, Minister of State for European Affairs, France
Johan Van Overtveldt, Member of the European Parliament - Chair of the Committee on Budget
Cinzia Alcidi, Director of Research, Centre for European Policy Studies - 12:30 - 14:30
Lunch Break
- 14:30 - 14:40
TED-STYLE TALK: "An EU budget for growth"
Clemens Fuest, President of the Institute for Economic Research and Director of the Center for Economic Studies University of Munich
- 14:40 - 15:30
The evolving nature of the EU budget
Moderator: Sam Fleming, Brussels Bureau Chief, Financial Times
Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund
Johannes Hahn, Commissioner for Budget and Administration, European Commission
- 15:30 - 15:45
- 15:45 - 15:55
Annual Budget Conference closing remarks
Gert Jan Koopman, Director-General for Budget, European Commission
- 16:00 - 17:00
Technical workshop - Measuring climate mainstreaming
Moderator: Ester Asin Martinez, Director, WWF European Policy Office
Panellists:
Philippe Lamberts, Member of the European Parliament, Greens/EFA Co-President
Jon Blöndal, Head of Budgeting and Public Management, OECD
Diana Ürge-Vorsatz, Vice Chair of Working Group III (Mitigation) of IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change)
Clara De La Torre, Deputy Director-General for Climate Action, European Commission
Want to read about the evolving nature of the EU budget?
The Annual EU Budget Conference is part of a broader initiative, the Conference on the Future of Europe, which enables people from across Europe to share their ideas and help shape our common future.
Images and videos
