Reform Needs and Options for Reform of the EU Budget from an Austrian Perspective

The EU budget 2021 to 2027 must be more strongly oriented towards European added value in order to facilitate agreement in view of the controversial positions of the member countries and their primary orientation towards the net position. Strengthening the share of spending on research, climate-friendly cross-border transport and energy supply infrastructure, as well as proactive asylum and migration, integration and development policies and a consistent orientation of agricultural policy towards climate policy goals could increase the European added value of EU spending. Innovative sustainability-oriented own resources as a partial substitute for the contributions of the member countries, which currently do not contribute at all to the implementation of central EU goals and strategies, could further increase the benefits of the EU budget.