Ursula von der Leyen's office takes control of the future EU budget

BRUSSELS, October 1 - RIA Novosti. Control over the distribution of about half of the future EU budget of about 2 trillion euros is gradually shifting towards the closest office of the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, which raises concerns among EU countries, Rapporteur reports, citing the received agenda of the closed meeting and European officials.

"The direction of travel is becoming increasingly clear: budgetary powers are shifting to von der Leyen's inner circle, meaning whoever succeeds her could inherit significantly more control over how Europe spends its money," the newspaper writes.

According to Rapporteur, on Thursday EC representatives with EU experts will hold a closed-door discussion on reforms, investments and territorial distribution of funds, which will affect about half of the future seven-year EU budget.

The meeting is organized and coordinated directly by the General Secretariat of the European Commission, subordinate to von der Leyen.

At the same time, the specialized divisions of the EC, which traditionally were involved in the distribution of funds for agriculture, regions, migration and social policy, are given a significantly smaller role.

Of particular concern to a number of countries is the EC's proposal to integrate agricultural, regional and migration expenditures into national plans and make payments conditional on governments carrying out economic reforms.