Germany's Merz Says EU Budget Proposal Must Be Cut Further
BERLIN — German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Friday in Brussels that the current European budget proposal must be cut further and that an additional European Council meeting is expected in November. He hopes a budget deal can be reached before the end of this year, but he is not sure it will happen, Merz told journalists.
The dispute centres on the EU's long-term budget for 2028 to 2034, the Multiannual Financial Framework. The revised proposal put forward by the Irish presidency of the EU Council has already drawn objections from several member states: Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said the same week that Sweden would reject the proposal, and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Greece was not satisfied with it either.
Merz's remarks signal that Germany, one of the bloc's largest contributors, will push to shrink the spending plan in the talks ahead. EU budget deals require unanimity among member states, and whether the extra November meeting can close the gaps will decide if an agreement is possible by year-end as Merz hopes. (GSM, based on Reuters reporting)
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 布鲁塞尔欧罗巴大楼。Europa Building, Brussels. Photo by PPEscientist, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
