The leader of the French National Rally party, Marine Le Pen, has called for the agreement on the European Union’s long-term budget to be delayed until after the French presidential election in 2027. She made the statement in Brussels ahead of an EU summit.
Le Pen insisted that negotiations on the seven-year financial framework for the period 2028-2034 should only be concluded after elections in France, Italy, Poland and Spain. According to her, an earlier agreement would be a “democratic scandal“, as future governments would have to comply with decisions taken before the vote.
Disagreements over the size of the budget
Member states must reach an agreement by the end of the year, but significant differences between them cast doubt on this deadline, DPA reported. Germany and other countries are demanding a reduction in planned spending by several hundred billion euros.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has rejected as unacceptable the latest proposal from Ireland, which currently holds the presidency of the EU Council. The budget must be adopted with the unanimous consent of the governments of all member states.
What is Le Pen's position
Le Pen said that if elected president of France, she wants to personally bring the budget negotiations to a conclusion. The first round of the presidential elections in France is scheduled for April 2027, and according to the polls cited in the article, she has a lead over the other candidates.
Against the backdrop of the difficult state of French public finances, Le Pen wants to prevent any increase in the country's financial contribution to the EU budget. She also insists that the European Commission abandon programs that she believes exceed the Union's powers, including in the areas of diplomacy and development policy.
Sources: bta.bg