The Council has proposed a 35% climate spending target in the multiannual financial framework.

Error detected

Attribution error: the 35% climate spending target in the MFF was proposed by the European Commission (on 16 July 2025), not by the Council of the European Union. The Council is a co-legislator that negotiates and amends the Commission's proposal, but does not initiate it.

Omissions

• The claim attributes the 35% climate spending target to the Council, but under EU budget procedure (Article 312 TFEU), the European Commission is the institution that formally proposes the Multiannual Financial Framework. The Council and the European Parliament are co-legislators that adopt the MFF.
• Multiple secondary sources (CAN Europe, WWF, ECFR) consistently attribute the 35% target to the European Commission, not to the Council.
• As of June 2026, the Council had agreed only partial negotiating positions on specific MFF instruments (such as the Competitiveness Fund and performance framework regulation), and its press releases from this period do not explicitly mention endorsement of the 35% climate target.
• The 35% climate spending target was inherited from the previous MFF (2021-2027), where a 30% climate target was originally set and subsequently tracked. The Commission's proposal maintains and slightly increases this ambition.

Sources

• PrimaryEuropean Commission — EU Budget 2028-2034On 16 July 2025, the Commission presented its proposal for an ambitious and dynamic Multiannual Financial Framework ('MFF') amounting to almost EUR 2 trillion.
• SecondaryWWF European Policy OfficeThe European Commission has proposed maintaining a 35% spending target for climate and environmental objectives in the next MFF.
• SecondaryCAN EuropeWhile we welcome a 35% climate mainstreaming target, there seems to be no distinct binding earmarking for biodiversity and other environmental objectives.
• SecondaryEuropean Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR)Under the MFF proposal, 35% of total expenditure should contribute to climate and environmental objectives, and no EU expenditure should significantly harm them.