Cyprus president says EU budget plan could be cut by more than €200 billion — RMF24

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides has said that the final compromise on the next European Union budget could involve cuts of 10–12% from the European Commission’s initial proposal. According to RMF24, a 12% reduction would mean more than €200 billion less than envisaged in the European Commission’s initial draft.

Position of 17 EU states

Before the budget talks, Italy and Romania organised a meeting of leaders from 17 countries in the “Friends of Cohesion” group, which includes Poland. Following the meeting, the states adopted a joint position calling for an ambitious, fair and balanced EU budget capable of responding to new challenges without weakening the Union’s existing policies.

The group’s statement calls for protecting funds provided under national and regional partnership plans, including for cohesion policy and agriculture. This funding is aimed at investment, the development of less developed regions and support for farmers. At the same time, the group’s participants do not rule out all possible cuts, but insist on protecting these areas and on rules for the effective use of EU funds.

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Cut proposals

The Irish presidency on Saturday proposed reducing the European Commission’s initial draft by around 8%, or €141 billion. Christodoulides said that this option was not a solution they were agreeing to, in his words, but the scale of cuts within a compromise could rise to double-digit levels.

Germany and other states that are net contributors to the EU budget have demanded savings at least as substantial from the outset. They believe that cuts should also apply to agricultural policy and funding for poorer regions.