Budget cut request from 6 EU members

Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Denmark, Sweden and Finland, which are countries that contribute highly to the European Union (EU) budget, want the budget of approximately 2 trillion euros proposed for the 2028-2034 period to be reduced by hundreds of billions of euros.

According to the Politico website, the leaders of these 6 countries sent a letter to Ireland, the EU Term President, calling for a cut of several hundred billion euros in the new budget draft.

Leaders stated that their countries cover approximately 40 percent of the EU budget, and described increasing the budget by 60 percent compared to the current period as an unrealistic approach.

Pointing out that even if new revenue sources are created for the budget, the financial burden will be borne by European citizens, the leaders asked for the budget proposal to be reduced.

The EU Commission had submitted a proposal of approximately 2 trillion euros for the 2028-2034 budget, which would determine expenditures in areas such as agriculture, defense, infrastructure and regional development.

Ireland, which holds the term presidency, is expected to present the draft negotiation with updated budget figures.

EU leaders are planned to discuss the issue at the summit to be held in Brussels on 15-16 October.

The EU budget is prepared for 7-year periods in which upper limits on expenditures are determined in accordance with the rules.

Representatives of EU countries have recently been concentrating on studies and negotiations on the new Multiannual Financial Framework that will cover the period 2028-2034.

A political agreement must be reached for the new budget to come into force on January 1, 2028.

The decision on the long-term EU budget is taken with the approval of the European Parliament and the unanimous vote of the member states in the EU Council.

The long-term EU budget is the scene of fierce debates on issues such as how much member countries will contribute to the future budget and which areas the budget will focus on.

Meanwhile, the Financial Times newspaper announced this news to its readers as follows: "6 EU countries, led by Germany, gave an ultimatum to Brussels regarding the budget."