Focus – Six EU countries seek to cut the next budget by hundreds of billions of euros

Six European Union member states have demanded a reduction of several hundred billion euros in the EU’s next seven-year budget, opposing the European Commission’s proposal for a budget of almost 2 trillion euros for the period 2028–2034, according to “The Irish Times”.

Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Austria and Finland have described the current proposal as unrealistic, both from an economic and from a political point of view.

According to these countries, the proposed budget would be around 60% higher in nominal value than the EU’s current budget.

In a letter addressed to the Irish presidency of the Council of the EU, the six governments demand a full review of spending priorities.

They argue that the budget must adapt to Europe’s new needs and focus more on defense and security, increasing economic competitiveness, innovation and migration management.

The six countries also stress that the next budget must be at a level that can be financed sustainably, without further increasing the European Union’s borrowing.

The European Commission presented the proposal for the 2028–2034 budget in 2025.

The plan envisages a sum of almost 2 trillion euros and includes funding for areas such as competitiveness, defense, security, regional development, agriculture and migration.

The six countries’ demand further complicates the negotiation over the next budget, since several other member states demand the preservation or increase of funds for agriculture and the development of less developed regions.

Ireland, which holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, is preparing a compromise proposal to find an agreement among the member states.