EU capitals weaken end-of-year deadline for budget deal
Italy and France are resisting European Council President António Costa's push to secure a deal in 2026.
European governments have weakened their commitment to finalize a budget deal by the end of the year, according to draft Council conclusions obtained by POLITICO. European Council President António Costa hopes to push negotiations forward during a December summit to avoid elections in France, Italy, and Poland in 2027 disrupting the talks.
However, the governments are reluctant to set an end-of-year deadline, fearing it could weaken their position in the negotiations. EU leaders are set to meet in Brussels on Thursday and Friday to discuss the Irish budget proposal, which calls for €159 billion in cuts, as well as energy prices, enlargement, Ukraine, and migration.
Several countries, including Italy and France, have urged Costa to drop the language about reaching a final agreement by the year's end, with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stating that they will not sign an agreement that is not in Italy's best interest. The draft conclusions now only call for a "timely agreement," with reaching a deal by year's end said to enable EU funding to start flowing in 2028.
The conclusions also express regret over U.S. sanctions on Russian diesel and the International Criminal Court, while pledging to work with Washington to reverse these measures.
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