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The recommendations<\/a> \u2013 handed over to First Vice-President Timmermans on World Happiness Day yesterday \u2013 remind the Commission that the EU\u2019s budget for 2020 to 2027 should work to serve the wellbeing of people and not be a zero-sum game between member states.<\/p>\n The group \u2013 which includes the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) \u2013 calls for [2] sustainable development to be incorporated into the EU\u2019s funding priorities and decision making mechanisms in its next budget – the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF).<\/p>\n The EEB is Europe\u2019s largest network of environmental citizens\u2019 organisations with around 140 organisations in more than 30 countries.<\/em><\/p>\n With the Commission expected to publish its budget proposal on 2 May, intense political debate on the future of EU spending is currently taking place between the European Commission, national governments and the European Parliament.<\/p>\n EEB Director for Global Policies and Sustainability Patrizia Heidegger <\/strong>said:<\/p>\n \u201cThe new EU budget<\/em> must strengthen the EU\u2019s efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 \u2013 which global leaders committed to in 2015 in order to end poverty and protect the planet. While the EU has a plan to achieve the SDGS \u2013 its 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development \u2013 so far not enough action has been taken to make it a reality. Europe simply can\u2019t afford a budget full of contradictory investments and wasteful spending.<\/em>\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n EEB Secretary General Jeremy Wates<\/strong> highlighted that the recommendations include a call [3] to boost the EU\u2019s environmental support scheme \u2013 the LIFE fund:<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not just environmentalists who are vocal about the need to support environmental protection under the next EU budget. Now, academic institutions, a number of businesses, trade unions, and social and development groups have also called for a boost to the only direct source of EU environmental and climate funding: the LIFE programme. LIFE is money well spent with predictions showing that the scheme will have created around 74,500 jobs over seven years. And it is estimated that projects funded in 2014 will produce a benefit to society of some \u20ac1.7 billion \u2013 more than four times the overall LIFE budget for that year.<\/em>\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n ENDS<\/strong><\/p>\n Notes to editors:<\/p>\n [1] The multi-stakeholder platform on the implementation of the SDGs (SDGs MSP)<\/a> was set up by the European Commission to support and advise the Commission on the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. It is chaired by First Vice-President Timmermans and involves 30 members from: civil society organisations (CSOs) from environment, social, human rights and development fields; businesses; trade unions; academic institutions; individual experts; and eight observers. The SDGs MSP is supported by the office of the Secretariat General. Six members of the platform abstained from taking an opinion on this report: COPA COGECA, BusinessEurope, Mella Frewen (Food Drink Europe), Committee of the Regions, Eurocities and Council of European Municipalities and Regions.<\/p>\n