Germany's Merz Hosts 'Frugal' Leaders Ahead of EU Budget Battle
Merz and fellow frugal leaders seek cuts of several hundred billion euros as the European Union prepares for difficult 2028-34 budget talks.
- On Thursday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz welcomed leaders from Austria, Denmark, and Finland to Berlin, demanding the European Commission slash its "unaffordable" $2.3 trillion budget proposal by hundreds of billions.
- The 27-member European Union braces for tough negotiations over a seven-year budget spanning 2028-34, with Merz previously stating in Dublin, "We need a budget proposal with cuts in all areas adding up to several hundred billion euros."
- Merz urged a "thoroughgoing reduction in bureaucracy," calling the addition of 2,500 new jobs at EU institutions "unacceptable," while Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said the budget's "overall level of the proposed framework is too high."
- The "frugal" bloc—including the Netherlands and Sweden—remains at odds with countries like Italy, Spain, and Poland, as European Council chief Antonio Costa tours capitals to hammer out a compromise.
- Negotiations will intensify at a Brussels summit in October, with leaders aiming to seal a deal by December before 2027 elections in member states like France could complicate the bargain.
20 Articles
20 Articles
Meeting of EU net contributors in Berlin: Austria stands up together with Germany and Denmark against planned increase of the EU budget
Germany's Merz hosts 'frugal' leaders ahead of EU budget battle
Their meeting comes as the 27-member European Union braces for tough negotiations to agree a joint budget for the seven-year stretch 2028-34. Merz has demanded the European Commission slash its nearly two trillion euro ($2.3 trillion) budget proposal by hundreds of billions, calling the plan "unaffordable". To hammer out a joint position, he will hold talks with Austria's Chancellor Christian Stocker and prime ministers Mette Frederiksen of Denm…
Germany is pushing for a slim EU budget and is gathering like-minded people for a lunch meeting in Berlin.
At a meeting of the EU net contributors in Berlin, Chancellor Stocker wants to plead for cuts in the EU budget.
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