ESN's Official Statement on the Next Multiannual Financial Framework (2028–2034)

The next Multiannual Financial Framework for 2028–2034 must not come at the cost of social inclusion. The European Social Network (ESN) calls on EU institutions and Member States to ensure the next long-term budget fully supports public social services and the people who depend on them.

In short, the next MFF should:

• Secure a standalone European Social Fund+ backed by at least the same level of funding as the current ESF+, adjusted for inflation, with a minimum of 25% earmarked for social inclusion
• Reinstate thematic enabling conditions linked to the European Pillar of Social Rights, ensuring EU investments deliver measurable social outcomes
• Guarantee meaningful involvement of regional and local authorities in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of EU-funded programmes
• Preserve and strengthen cross-European knowledge exchange programmes such as EaSI, enabling social services to test, scale and transfer innovative approaches
• Protect subsidiarity by ensuring a standalone ESF+ that cannot be reallocated without local consent, and by simplifying access for small-scale community programmes
• Promote the transition from institutional to community- and family-based social services, and support the modernisation and workforce development of the social sector
• Establish a care guarantee ensuring access to high-quality, community- and family-based social services for all people in need