Member states of the European Union want the European Commission to cut by at least 20%, or about 13 billion euros, the proposed increase in the medium-term budget for 2024-2027.
About this publication Politico it became known from two European diplomats, writes “European Truth”.
In June, the European Commission asked for 66 billion euros in additional spending to cover unforeseen expenses, arguing that the budget had been depleted by multiple crises, from the COVID-19 pandemic to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
EU member states, however, want to reduce this amount by at least 20%, indicating that the main burden of increased costs will fall on specific contributor countries (those who pay more into the EU budget than they receive from it).
The bulk of the additional EU funding, in addition to the 50 billion euros in support for Kiev (17 billion euros in grants plus 33 billion euros in off-budget low-interest loans), according to the European Commission’s plan, will go to pay interest rates on post-pandemic loans (18.9 billion euros ), as well as migration agreements with third countries (15 billion euros).
The European Parliament supported an increase in the EU budget for 2024
All EU countries except Hungary agree on the need to continue supporting Ukraine, but some are less willing to hand over additional money to Brussels for other purposes.
For example, some EU members from Eastern and Northern Europe, as well as Germany, want the European Commission to finance new priorities by saving money from other areas of the current long-term budget (2021-2027).
Spain, which holds the EU Council presidency for this half-year, has proposed three additional spending cuts of 5, 10 and 20 billion euros, according to Politico. But it does not satisfy EU members from southern Europe, since it practically does not affect the agricultural fund and the EU cohesion fund – the two largest items of budget expenditure.
EU ambassadors are expected to continue discussing the issue until the European Council meeting in mid-December.
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2023-11-27 21:01:23
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