As many observers were apt to point out, the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic took everyone by surprise and, unfortunately, national governments were left to act alone, while the European Union institutions and leaders initially played a passive role. Many opinion leaders argued that the policies enacted during this global outbreak represent a major challenge for the EU, and I agree: we can truly strengthen our union if we act together now and if we reinforce the pillars of our common project for more resilience in the future. The next budget can be a blueprint of this future.

Even if initially, we might have been frustrated at the slowness with which the European leaders have conducted the negotiations for setting-up the new MFF, the delay might eventually become an opportunity, specifically because it leaves room to address directly the economic and social upheaval caused by the pandemic, rather than spend a significant effort to patch up an already defined framework. But what does the current crisis teach us about the real priorities for our EU budget?

Our health and education systems and infrastructures are brutally underfunded, and we lack the (institutional) exercise to act together in these fields. The drama of severely overworked medical professionals fighting the epidemic, most often in underfunded hospitals, as well as the tough experience of moving the education process online surely must prove, even to skeptics, the enormous value of investing in doctors and teachers, in modern hospitals and education systems. But it should also prove the necessity of common decision-making, sharing resources, common procedures for better and faster results across the EU in these fields. If we want the EU to be more effective in managing and preventing such crises, the member states should give the EU the competences to do so.

There are several things that the next EU budget can provide for. I have long called for the establishment of a European health guarantee designed to put our resources together in fighting diseases and emergency situations blocked by the traditional bureaucratic hurdles. But creating a common EU Health budget is the first step.

Secondly, I believe that European funding needs also to address the blatant inequalities that our current healthcare systems generate. The current crisis goes to highlight that while wealth might not insulate the richest and most influential citizens from disease, it severely undermines our most vulnerable citizens’ access to treatment and professional care. The impact is not, and will not be, uniform and we must act being convinced that our society will survive only inasmuch as we are able to take care of its most vulnerable and underprivileged members. The real direction that will strengthen the common project is the Health Union.

At the same time, while moving a large part of our educational systems online, we must also look to ensure that this process does not increase the inequalities already manifest in our educational systems – debates about the relevance of online teaching eschew the fact that a significant proportion of pupils and students do not have access to the internet or even computers. The EU could step in by helping the development of our infrastructure and by creating an EU-wide platform for teaching and interaction, for parents, pupils and teachers, playing the role of an online resource center. I have already petitioned the EU institutions in this respect an several MEPs from different political groups and countries stood by this call for “Education for All”.

I know that budgetary debates are, in essence, debates about the priorities we value in the coming years. But bold actions such as investing in education and healthcare must be a priority not only because they increase the relevance of the European Union, but also because they can have both a short and a long-term impact on the future of our societies. The new EU budget must change Europe, or the EU will not survive it.

Before coronavirus, some of the main MFF challenges were, in my view, the threats to the CAP budget and to the Cohesion policy budget. As we prepare to recover from this crisis, cohesion must obviously be at the center of our common efforts, in order to help every region and every country deal with the crisis aftermath.  And “cohesion” has more than one meaning in this context. It is a symbol for the sustainable development that we must achieve everywhere and for everyone in Europe.