Massive cuts to EU budget - 6 countries' request to the Commission: The increase is unsustainable
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, along with the heads of government of five other EU donor states, has called for drastic cuts in the EU's next budget. Current proposals from the European Commission for an increase of up to 60% are "simply unsustainable," the Chancellor said after a meeting in Berlin. According to Merz, the proposed amount should be reduced "by several hundred billion euros" and the cuts would affect almost all areas.
The confidential meeting in Berlin was attended by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo and Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker. The prime ministers of the Netherlands and Sweden participated via video conference.
These six countries finance about 40% of the European budget. Merz also noted that these countries provide 70% of bilateral aid from EU member states to Ukraine.
In a joint statement, the group of contributing EU states called for "realism and reform" for the multiannual financial framework, which comes into force on 1 January 2028. The security, sovereignty, migration and competitiveness of the European Union must be at the "heart" of the budget.
"At a time when practically all member states are undertaking 'painful' budgetary measures, the EU budget cannot be an exception," the statement said.
In their joint statement, the six states also rejected new issuance of joint EU debt. They argued that "this is not a solution to our budgetary challenges and an alternative to structural reforms". Furthermore, they asserted that EU institutions should manage their tasks with existing staffing levels.
"With a 20th century budget, we will not be able to meet the challenges of the 21st century," Merz said. The aim is to conclude the negotiations by the end of this year, if possible. The group aims to present a unified position in EU consultations starting in October.
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