European Commission President von der Leyen opposes EU budget cuts — Politico Europe

In Strasbourg, France, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned against significant cuts to the EU’s next seven-year budget. Speaking in the European Parliament on October 6, she said that reducing the common budget could harm the European Union’s priorities, including competitiveness and energy autonomy. Politico Europe reports.

Disputes over the budget’s size

Von der Leyen recalled that the European Commission’s proposal for the 2028–2034 budget amounts to 1.26% of the European Union’s gross national income. This is a relatively small increase compared with the current seven-year budget plan.

She also stressed the need to approve a substantial package of new EU own resources — Europe-wide taxes intended to finance the budget and reduce member states’ contributions to Brussels.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

Opposing positions among EU countries

Germany and its allies in Northern Europe are pressuring Ireland, which holds the presidency of the Council of the EU and is conducting budget negotiations, seeking spending cuts of hundreds of billions of euros. At the same time, 17 countries in Southern and Eastern Europe, led by Italy and Romania, support maintaining subsidies for farmers and regional payments.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that the absence of a new financial framework would be the most advantageous option for Germany financially, although such a scenario would limit the EU’s ability to act. According to the outlet, the Irish presidency may propose cuts exceeding €100 billion. EU governments are seeking to reach an agreement by the end of the year, ahead of the 2027 elections in France, Italy and Poland.