Germany's Merz urges EU to keep long-term budget affordable

German ​Chancellor ‌Friedrich Merz urged ​the European Union to ‌ensure that its budget remains affordable in the coming ‌years at a press ‌conference with leaders from other EU states that pay ⁠more ​into ⁠the bloc's budget than they ⁠receive back.

"The EU budget ​must remain affordable - current ⁠proposals envisage an increase of ⁠up ​to 60%," Merz said on Thursday ⁠about the Commission's proposed budget of ⁠nearly €2 ⁠trillion ($2.33 trillion) for 2028-2034. (Writing by Miranda ‌Murray, ‌Editing by Friedeike ​Heine)