The European Commission's proposals for the 2028-2034 budget plan are unaffordable. They must be reduced in all areas. This was stated by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at a joint press conference with European Council President Antonio Costa.
"The European Commission's proposals envisage an increase in the multiannual financial plan by 60% compared to the previous period. At a time of budgetary constraints in all member states, this is simply unaffordable", he said. "In this regard, we must reduce deliveries by several hundred billion euros over the entire financial period. And these cuts should affect all areas," the Chancellor said.
Earlier, the European publication Politico drew attention to the fact that the victory of the "Alternative for Germany" (AfD) party in the elections in the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt could force Merz to tighten his position in the negotiations on the EU budget for 2028-2034. The EU budget is approved for seven years. Negotiations are currently underway on the budget plan for 2028-2034, the volume of which, according to the European Commission's proposal, should amount to €1.76 trillion, taking into account inflation. A number of countries, including Germany, which makes a significant contribution to the EU budget, consider it too high.