The EU is in the process of negotiating its 2014-20 financial framework. Failure to reach an agreement would imply a … - there will be political and institutional costs. EU leaders have too often and too forcefully advocated the use of the EU … budget is misplaced. EU leaders should instead aim to make the EU budget more flexible, safeguard it from future political …

efforts should be made to exploit synergies between EU grants and European Investment Bank loans, allowing EIB loans to … finance the total costs of a project or programme in small countries, and leveraging the whole EU budget to attract private …