Sweden to Reject Irish EU Presidency Proposal on 2028-2034 Budget Plan
STOCKHOLM — Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Thursday, October 15, that the Nordic country will reject the Irish EU presidency proposal for the European Commission's budget plan for the period 2028 to 2034. The statement adds another member state's public opposition to the presidency's revised proposal early in the negotiations.
The EU's long-term budget sets common spending for years ahead on agriculture, regional development, defence and the green transition, and a deal requires unanimity among member states. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Friday that the current proposal must be cut further, with an extra European Council meeting expected in November; Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Greece was not satisfied with the revised proposal and opposes cuts to cohesion policy and the common agricultural policy.
Sweden has traditionally belonged to the frugal camp of net contributors in EU budget talks. Kristersson's rejection means the presidency will need to reshape the plan substantially in the negotiations before year-end to win over Sweden and other frugal states. (GSM, based on Reuters reporting)
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 瑞典议会大厦。Riksdag, Stockholm. Photo by Arild Vågen, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
