In LePoint.fr, Nicolas Marques, Director General of the Institut économique Molinari and part of the Epicenter network, argued that the European Union does not need a record Multiannual Financial Framework of €1,763 billion for 2028–2034. Marques questioned the 39% increase justified by geopolitical, climate and digital challenges, stressing that the EU has expanded far beyond its core mission of promoting the Single Market. Drawing on Epicenter’s Alternative EU Budget study, he noted that spending could be reduced by 13% (€220 billion) by refocusing on essential competences, while warning that new own resources would strengthen Brussels’ fiscal autonomy at the expense of member states and further undermine European competitiveness.