FEANTSA Response to the Commission’s Proposal for the next MFF

FEANTSA is the European Federation of Organisations Working with the Homeless. We are responding to the Commission’s proposal for the 2028 – 2034 MFF, focusing on the extent to which the proposed future EU budget could contribute to addressing homelessness and housing exclusion, notably in light of Lisbon Declaration, the European Pillar of Social Rights, the European Platform on Combatting Homelessness and in the context of the forthcoming first-ever EU Affordable Housing Plan and Anti-Poverty Strategy. The Commission’s proposals involve substantial reform of the current architecture, governance, size, and priorities of the EU budget. The European Parliament, some Member States, stakeholders and others have raised concerns about the increased centralization of programming and implementation, as well as the adequacy of the budget and the introduction of new strategic priorities, notably competitiveness, defense and border protection. The European Parliament has threatened to reject the proposal unless the Commission revises it. Whilst these debates are extremely important, we limit our focus here to considering what the proposals could mean for investment of EU funds in the fight against homelessness and housing exclusion.