Budget : Providing value for money

The EU budget focuses on where European funding makes a difference. It funds what would not be funded or what would be more expensive to fund from national budgets. Many achievements of the EU would not have been possible without a common budget. Having one EU budget to deal with common challenges is cheaper and more effective than tackling them with 28 separate ones. The EU’s responsibilities have increased over the years and the EU budget now finances a wide range of activities in the interest of all EU citizens. This publication is a part of a series that explains what the EU does in different policy areas, why the EU is involved and what the results are