(L-R) Piotr Serafin, European Commissioner for Budget, Anti-Fraud & Public Administration; Xavier Bettel, Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs & Foreign Trade;
Credit: MAE
Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Xavier Bettel, participated in the meeting of the General Affairs Council (GAC) of the European Union in Brussels, Belgium on Friday 18 July 2025.
According to Luxembourg's Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Defence, Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, the main topic of the meeting was the future Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) of the European Union post-2027, with the presentation of an initial set of proposals by the European Commission. This presentation was followed by a general debate among Member States, marking the beginning of the negotiation process, which is expected to continue over the next two years.
Minister Bettel indicated that Luxembourg will adopt a constructive position throughout the negotiations. In a context marked by multiple crises and increasing unpredictability, he welcomed the proposal to introduce more flexibility mechanisms into the financial framework, while emphasising the importance of continuing to support the implementation of traditional EU policies, such as agriculture.
Furthermore, Minister Bettel emphasised that, within the next MFF, respect for the rule of law must remain a top priority. He noted that the European Union goes far beyond budgetary matters: it is based, above all, on the values it upholds. He also emphasised the need to take into account the situation of national public finances and thus to use European funds in a targeted and efficient manner.
The agenda also included an exchange of views on Spain's request to include Catalan, Basque and Galician in the regulation on the EU language regime.
