EU unlikely to agree on 2028–2034 budget at Brussels summit, German Chancellor says

An agreement on the European Union's multiannual financial framework for 2028–2034 is unlikely to be reached at the EU summit in Brussels due to significant disagreements among member states, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told journalists ahead of the EU Council meeting, according to Report's European bureau.

"We are very far from a unified position," Merz said, emphasizing that adopting the financial plan requires the consent of all member states.

According to him, a number of countries favor increasing funding, but Germany opposes such an approach, particularly regarding EU cohesion policy and agriculture.

"We must significantly reduce the overall budget compared to the European Commission's proposals. No EU member state can afford to pay contributions to the European Union at such a scale," Merz stated, noting that the European Commission's current proposal foresees spending 50% higher than under the existing multiannual financial framework.

Nevertheless, Merz expressed hope that EU countries would manage to agree on the new multiannual financial plan before the end of the year, quipping that leaders should bring extra shirts to the December EU Council meeting in anticipation of prolonged negotiations.

He added that key priorities for the European budget should be boosting competitiveness and strengthening defense, while also linking expenditure discussions to the necessity of reducing bureaucracy.