(noun)
The EU’s favourite budget buzzword for making long-term commitments, like gender justice and environmental protections, optional. Officially described as the ability to respond quickly to changing priorities; unofficially, a convenient way to redirect funding away from agreed objectives whenever the political winds shift.
Features include:
- Predictable funding redirected towards “emerging priorities”
- Concrete spending targets replaced by vague mentions to “mainstreaming”
- Democratic oversight delayed until after the decisions are made
- Budget commitments treated as helpful suggestions rather than promises
Example:
“Don’t worry, the budget still supports development priorities… it just has a bit more flexibility.”
Translation:
“It’s not ring-fenced, there are no spending targets… we can redirect spending towards whatever’s politically convenient.”
