EU budget: Germany sets itself against von der Leyen's budget plans
Before the hot phase of negotiations, Germany and five partners call the proposal "simply not realistic". In contrast, France and Italy are demanding an even higher budget.
Six German-speaking countries are pushing for a significant reduction in the upcoming EU budget, arguing that the EU Commission's proposal is unrealistically large. In a joint letter addressed to Irish Chancellor Micheál Martin, the six leaders - from Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Austria, Finland, and Sweden - claim the proposal would entail a nominal increase of around 60 percent compared to the current financial framework.
They argue that the budget must be substantially trimmed, with all categories contributing to the savings. While France and Italy, the second and third largest net contributors respectively, advocate for an increased budget, Germany and its partners insist that a smaller budget is more realistic, economic, and politically feasible.
France and Italy propose a new digital tax on large tech companies as an alternative financing method, but the six countries caution that this approach sidesteps the debate over the budget's size. They emphasize that additional funds should primarily go towards security, defense, competitiveness, innovation, and combating irregular migration.
They also reject the idea of increasing EU debt as a solution to the financing dispute, stating that the budget will ultimately be paid for by European citizens through any mechanism used for its funding.
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