Background. Preparation of the financial perspective 2021–2027 is to implement the principle of programming the spending of public funds by the EU institutions. Striving to ensure sound management of EU finances by strengthening the rule of law mechanism has become the core value of the new EU budget. The discussion on the EU budget focuses on public policy issues, in particular on aspects such as migration policy and border protection, defense cooperation, climate policy, as well as research and entrepreneurship. In spite of absence from the main stream of the debate, an important part of the EU budget in perspective 2021–2027 will continue to be the common agricultural policy.

Research aims. The goal of this article is to analyze the agenda of EU budget assumptions and challenges of EU public policy in political discourse.

Methodology. The comparative method used in the study is the analysis of the differences in the scope of inflows and expenditures of the EU budget. In turn, phenomena and events that affect the wording of the EU budget to a lesser or greater degree have occurred at different times and have had a different impact on the budget adoption process. The timeframe for the analysis presented, including the main factors forming the “two streams”, took place in 2015–2018.

Key findings. In the first part of the article, the assumptions of the EU budget for perspective 2021–2027 presented by the Commission were included. The second part of the study is an analysis of the main determinants affecting the revenue and expenditure part of the EU budget. The third part presents the analysis of two streams present in the public discourse: stream of problems, stream of challenges and streams of interests of member states.

JEL Codes: H61

Background. Preparation of the financial perspective 2021–2027 is to implement the principle of programming the spending of public funds by the EU institutions. Striving to ensure sound management of EU finances by strengthening the rule of law mechanism has become the core value of the new EU budget. The discussion on the EU budget focuses on public policy issues, in particular on aspects such as migration policy and border protection, defense cooperation, climate policy, as well as research and entrepreneurship. In spite of absence from the main stream of the debate, an important part of the EU budget in perspective 2021–2027 will continue to be the common agricultural policy.

Research aims. The goal of this article is to analyze the agenda of EU budget assumptions and challenges of EU public policy in political discourse.

Methodology. The comparative method used in the study is the analysis of the differences in the scope of inflows and expenditures of the EU budget. In turn, phenomena and events that affect the wording of the EU budget to a lesser or greater degree have occurred at different times and have had a different impact on the budget adoption process. The timeframe for the analysis presented, including the main factors forming the “two streams”, took place in 2015–2018.

Key findings. In the first part of the article, the assumptions of the EU budget for perspective 2021–2027 presented by the Commission were included. The second part of the study is an analysis of the main determinants affecting the revenue and expenditure part of the EU budget. The third part presents the analysis of two streams present in the public discourse: stream of problems, stream of challenges and streams of interests of member states.

JEL Codes: H61