What is the advantage of merging several programmes into the Single Market and Customs Programme?
The Single Market and Customs Programme will pool funding supporting the Single Market and cooperation between national administrations, in the areas of customs, taxation, and anti-fraud, in a comprehensive manner. The Programme brings together five predecessor programmes, notably the Single Market Programme (SMP, excluding SME and Food and feed pillars), Customs, Customs Control Equipment Instrument Fiscalis and Union Anti-Fraud programme.
It will further allow to streamline and exploit more synergies between the various actions and provide more flexible and agile financing to enhance and deepen the Single Market, strengthen the Customs Union, and protect the financial and economic interests of the EU and its Member States, more cost-efficiently. Public authorities will directly benefit from funding for capacity building, enhanced cooperation and streamlined administrative procedures.
What is the Justice programme about and how does it contribute to the further development of a European area of justice?
The Commission is proposing to build on the positive achievements of the current Justice Programme for 2021-2027, by more than doubling its current budget (raising it to €798 million). The Programme is a key instrument in ensuring the efficient, inclusive, resilient and digitalised justice systems across Europe, based on the rule of law, mutual recognition and mutual trust. It supports judicial cooperation in civil and criminal matters, judicial training, and ensuring equal access to justice for all citizens and businesses.
The Programme will contribute to reinforcing and upholding the rule of law in Europe, by enhancing judicial training and facilitating judicial cooperation. For instance, the Programme will contribute to improving the effective cross-border recognition and enforcement of judicial decisions. It will also support training opportunities for judges and judicial staff.
The new Programme will also support the digitalisation of justice at Union level, which enhances the efficiency of cross-border judicial procedures as well as access to justice within the Union, thus contributing to growth and competitiveness. The Programme will therefore keep strengthening democracy and protecting fundamental rights in the justice field. At the same time, the Programme will also support cross-border actions to prevent and combat corruption.
Will the proposal reinforce the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT) (including Greenland) in light of recent geopolitical developments?
The Commissions proposal reflects the strategic importance of the cooperation with the thirteen OCTs. The Decision on Overseas Association, including Greenland (DOAG) simplifies current architecture by merging EU financial support for Greenland and the rest of the Overseas Countries and Territories with the European Union.
The amendments proposed aim at delivering on the objectives of the EU-OCT partnership in a changing world. This is why the Commission proposes to allocate close to €1 billion (twice the envelope for the period 2021-2027) to the associations funding programme for 2028-2034.
How can the package both support nuclear decommissioning and nuclear research?
Nuclear decommissioning and nuclear research and training are complementary. Nuclear decommissioning focuses on ending the active life of a nuclear facility and ensuring the long-term protection of the public and the environment through the shutdown of the facility, the removal of all nuclear material and the environmental restoration of the site.
Research and training in the nuclear sector, financed through the Euratom Research and Training programme, is much wider in scope from fusion to Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). It supports the development of fusion energy as a potential future source for electricity production, including through the EUs contribution to ITER.
It also supports research on safety and security of current and emerging nuclear technologies, including SMRs, radioactive waste and spent fuel management, radiation protection and non-proliferation, as well as non-power applications of nuclear science in fields such as medicine, where nuclear technologies play an important role in diagnostics and therapeutics. It also aims at ensuring the skills in the nuclear sector necessary for the EU to maintain technological and industrial leadership, competitiveness and strategic autonomy.
How does the proposed long-term budget support the development of fusion energy in the EU?
ITER is the first plant-sized fusion facility in the world and aims at paving the way to commercial Fusion Power Plants. For this reason, ITER remains a centrepiece of fusion energy development in the EU. The EUs contribution to the ITER project will therefore continue to represent a significant investment in the European high-tech industry, helping to boost competitiveness, in particular by further developing strategic know-how on fusion technologies in the EU.
In addition to ITER, the Euratom Research and Training programme budget provides for support to European fusion research as well as European industry, including startups, in Europe (for instance through Public-Private Partnerships).
The support to fusion is also evidenced by the identification of fusion as a ‘Moonshot project included in the proposed new Horizon Europe programme, focusing on the needs for EU to continue its efforts towards the ultimate goal of plugging fusion plants to the grid.
What is the objective of the Ignalina nuclear power plant decommissioning programme and how will it contribute to the EUs nuclear safety?
The Ignalina programme assists Lithuania in implementing the decommissioning of the Ignalina nuclear power plant, which has two Chernobyl-type reactors.
The primary objective is to dismantle and decontaminate the equipment and reactor shafts, as well as safely manage radioactive waste resulting from the decommissioning activities and legacy waste.
The programme will also increase the know-how and support knowledge sharing to decommission other European reactors equipped with graphite cores. By implementing this programme, significant improvements will be achieved in nuclear safety levels at the site. This will contribute to the overall EUs nuclear safety as well as to the protection and resilience of critical energy infrastructure.
What is the Pericles V Programme?
The Commission proposes a Regulation establishing the Pericles V Programme, in continuity with the current Pericles IV Programme.
Pericles V will support the effective protection of the euro against counterfeiting and counterfeiting-related fraud, taking also into account possible developments, such as potential new and evolving threats to the future digital euro, and potential threats posed by and investigational opportunities offered by artificial intelligence. It will do so by supporting and supplementing the measures of competent national and Union authorities, such as technical training and staff exchanges, as well as efforts to develop between Member States and with the Commission close and regular cooperation and exchanges of best practice.
For more information
Press release for the 2028-2034 EU long-term budget (II MFF Package – 3 September)
An ambitious budget for a stronger Europe: 2028-2034 (I MFF Package - 16 July)
Questions and answers on the next long-term budget (I MFF Package - 16 July)