Six EU net contributors demand hundreds of billions in cuts to bloc's long-term budget

Six EU countries that ​pay more into the bloc's budget ​than they receive back ‌called ​on Thursday for cuts of several hundred billion euros to the European Commission's proposed long-term budget, setting ‌out a common position as negotiations enter a decisive stage. Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Austria, Finland and Sweden said in a joint statement that the Commission's ‌proposed budget of nearly €2 trillion ($2.33 trillion) for 2028-2034 should be reduced "in a ‌balanced manner" with all areas of spending contributing to cuts.

Their statement, agreed at a meeting of its leaders in Berlin, was issued as European Council President Antonio Costa tours ⁠EU capitals ​to sound ⁠out governments on a deal. Costa has described reaching agreement by the end of 2026 ⁠as a priority. The EU budget, called the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), requires unanimity among ​all 27 member states.

The countries' demands broaden an earlier German ⁠push for a smaller budget. Germany had called in June for a reduction of about €400 ⁠billion, ​warning the current plans were unaffordable. The countries said the EU should spend more on shared priorities such as defence, competitiveness, migration and sovereignty. ⁠They opposed new joint EU borrowing, saying it was "not the solution ⁠to our budgetary ⁠challenges".

The countries also called for strict rule-of-law conditions on EU funds and said EU institutions should manage their workload ‌with ‌existing staff.