EU-Haushalt: Fünf EU-Regierungschefs lehnen gemeinsame Schuldenaufnahme ab

Five European EU leaders have opposed the idea of jointly taking on debt in the upcoming EU financial framework (MFR). Chancellor Friedrich Merz, along with his colleagues from Denmark, Austria, Finland, and the Netherlands, wrote in a contribution for "Politico" that a shared borrowing cannot be a solution: the debts accumulated during the pandemic already burden the next MFR by nearly 170 billion euros.

They warn of significant interest burdens that must be paid regardless of when the loan is repaid. The five leaders also oppose a postponement of repayment. The reason behind this stance is to ensure confidence in the EU's reliability. The five countries are net contributors to the EU and push for a significant reduction of EU Commission's proposals for the new seven-year financial framework starting in 2028 during the EU-27 negotiations.

They emphasize that almost every EU member state is making painful efforts to consolidate its public finances, especially in comparison to countries with high budget deficits like France. They warn that without solid public finances, there will be no European sovereignty. The position of net contributors is relevant because the new EU financial framework needs unanimous approval.

Merz and his colleagues also call for a reevaluation of the EU budget, warning that in a world with real budget constraints, Europe cannot finance new priorities by simply adding them to the old ones. They stress the need to align spending with strategically important issues such as competitiveness and defense.