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News 16 September 2025

What the European Commission’s 2028–2034 budget proposal means for Interreg

The Commission’s proposal for the post‑2027 period was published on 16 July 2025. Moray Gilland, Head of Unit at DG REGIO, spoke to more than 640 people in a webinar organised by the Interact programme to explain the main aspects of the Commission proposal and the rationale behind them. The Commission proposal will be negotiated by the Council and the EP, during the process the text may evolve.
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The Commission’s proposal for the post‑2027 period was published on 16 July 2025. .

Moray Gilland, Head of Unit at DG REGIO, spoke to more than 640 people in a webinar organised by the Interact programme to explain the main aspects of the Commission proposal and the rationale behind them. The Commission proposal will be negotiated by the Council and the EP, during the process the text may evolve. 

The following summarises the key insights shared during the session.

What changes

  • Interreg Plan: A new plan covers Interreg as a whole.

  • General and specific objectives with no thematic concentration: Interreg specific objectives now include ‘Better cooperation governance,’ ‘A safer and more secure Europe’ and ‘More resilient regions bordering Russia, Belarus and Ukraine.’ Cooperation with non‑Member States: new possibilities  for cooperation between  non‑member countries.

  • Performance‑based approach: move from expenditure‑based to performance‑based delivery.

  • Reform dimension: to be more developed in the context of Interreg (for example cross‑border health care and public transport services).

  • Outermost Cooperation strand: possibility to integrate external funding from the start of the next period.

  • Pre‑financing: Set at 4 % per year for the first three years.

  • Automatic decommitment: Proposed to be reduced to n+1 aiming to accelerate the payment flow.

What continues

  • Funding levels: Total funding proposed is €10.2 billion in current prices.

  • Programme types: The four existing programme strands are maintained with the same definitions.

  • Co‑financing: Retained at current levels: 80 % EU co‑financing for Interreg, and 85 % for outermost cooperation and cross‑border cooperation on external borders.

Getting ready for the future

Moray Gilland highlighted that programme implementation in this period has been faster than ever, with many programmes having already allocated all funds to projects. He encouraged programme representatives to begin preparing for the next period. ‘This shows how well the Interreg system is working, and being ready to start at the beginning of the next period is part of that acceleration process.’

What’s next?

The next opportunity for Interreg programmes to discuss the post‑2027 period will be the Interact Knowledge Fair on 4–5 November in Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Until then, Interact continues to collect programme representatives’ feedback on the proposal via this form until 30 September 2025.

Watch the recording

On the event page on Interact’s website, you can also listen to the full recording, access the presentation, and listen to Interact’s summary podcast on the Interreg Chapter.