Future of EU finances – Commissioner Oettinger discusses the next Multiannual Financial Framework in Belgium today and in Sweden on Monday

Commissioner Günther H. Oettinger in charge of Budget and Human Resources is visiting Belgium today and Sweden on 2 October as part of his stakeholder consultations on the future of EU finances and the post-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). In Belgium, the Commissioner will meet with Mr Didier Reynders, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and with Mr Johan Van Overtveldt, Federal Minister for Finance. He will also visit the Federal Parliament and meet members of the bi-cameral Federal Advisory Committee for European Affairs and the Committee for Finances. In Sweden, Commissioner Oettinger will meet with Prime Minister Mr Stefan Löfven, Minister for EU Affairs and Trade Ms Ann Linde and Minister of Finance Ms Magdalena Andersson. He will also visit the Riksdagen (Swedish Parliament) and speak with members of the Committees of EU Affairs and of Finance. Commissioner Oettinger will also discuss the challenges ahead of the EU budget with citizens and business representatives: at a Citizens’ Dialogue event and at an informal meeting chaired by Ms Eva Sjögren, Director of the Swedish Institute for European Policy Studies, and Ms Carola Lemne, Director-General of the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise, respectively. The meetings in Belgium and Sweden follow the visits of Italy, Greece and Luxembourg in July 2017. These were the first countries the Commissioner visited in the context of the discussion on the future of EU finances. The Commission kicked off this debate on 28 June 2017 with the publication its Reflection paper on the future of EU finances. Following its release, Commissioner Günther H. Oettinger initiated a series of meetings with stakeholders, whose views are to feed into the next MFF. Click here for the French, Dutch, German and Swedish versions of the Reflection paper.