You better bring a book – the start of the EU’s lengthy budget talks

Negotiations over the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2021 – 2027 just have started. But as tensions and divergences between the EU member states are rising, a final agreement seems considerably far away for now. The European Union is subject to a series of unprecedented constraints, the most significant one being the UK’s departure and the withdrawal of the money it once granted. Still, the implications of the budget allocation are manifold and extremely far-reaching. It will affect major themes which stand at the very basis of the Union and its future role on the global stage, such as national sovereignty, climate and innovation. Our Director Mark Leonard is joined by ECFR co-chair and director of the Danish think tank EUROPA Lykke Friis, as well as ECFR experts Jonathan Hackenbroich and Pawel Zerka to dissect the ongoing status of the discussions.

This podcast was recorded on 25 February 2020.

Inspired by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, here are some recommendations by our podcast crew on what to read during the long hours of MFF negotiations:

Bookshelf:

• “Den nya oredans tid” by Carl Bildt
• “The three escapes by Hannah Arendt” by Ken Krimstein
• “The books of Jacob” by Olga Tokarczuk
• “Exorbitant Privilege: The Rise and Fall of the Dollar and the Future of the International Monetary System” by Barry Eichengreen 
• “Håbets Europa” by Lykke Friis
• “En kuffert i Berlin: Rejse i Angela Merkels Tyskland” by Lykke Friis