France's Macron warns EU leaders they need budget deal before year-end, say diplomats

French President Emmanuel Macron ​has warned EU leaders they should ​agree the bloc's next long-term ‌budget before ​the end of the year because elections in several countries, including France, will make a deal harder to secure, ‌two diplomats said.

EU leaders met in Brussels on Thursday night to discuss the bloc's next seven-year budget, which requires unanimous approval and routinely triggers some of the EU's ‌most contentious negotiations between net contributors and net recipients. The 2028-2034 spending plan is ‌no exception, with a special summit scheduled for late November in an effort to reach agreement. "It's true. If you don't do it now, it will be even more difficult in 2027 and ⁠we won't ​be ready in ⁠2028," a diplomat from a northern European country familiar with the discussions told Reuters.

An eastern European diplomat, ⁠confirming the French warning, said the end of December was not a hard deadline, but negotiations ​should not drag much beyond the first few months of 2027. The urgency reflects ⁠a crowded election calendar across Europe next year, including a presidential election in France in April and ⁠May ​that could propel far-right leader Marine Le Pen to power. She has pledged to cut France's contribution to the EU budget and has urged EU leaders ⁠not to strike a deal before the French vote.

Asked about Le Pen's criticism, French ⁠officials noted that France ⁠was far from the only country heading to the polls next year. Poland, Slovakia, Italy, Greece and Finland are also ‌due to hold ‌elections.