{
  "id": 10641677,
  "title": "Germany news: Merz revolts over EU budget, report says",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/germany-news-merz-revolts-over-eu-budget-report-says",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-29T07:54:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "DW English (Top Stories)",
    "slug": "dw-english-top-stories",
    "url": "https://www.dw.com/en/germany-news-merz-revolts-over-eu-budget-report-says/live-79468663?maca=en-rss-en-top-1022-xml-mrss"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his counterparts from five other countries have expressed their intent to reject a proposed European Union budget proposal unless it is reduced by billions of euros. The disagreement emerged as Merz and political leaders from the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Austria, and Finland signed a letter to the Financial Times, stating their wish to see the budget cut. The proposed seven-year budget, set at nearly €2 trillion ($2.33 trillion), needs to be approved by all EU countries by the end of 2026. Merz earlier this month argued that excessive debt poses a threat to the EU's sovereignty and capacity to act, calling for a focus on competitiveness and defense in the budget.",
  "summary": "Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his counterparts from five countries have threatened to withhold approval to the EU budget proposal unless it's cut by billions of euros. Follow DW.",
  "key_points": [
    "German Chancellor Friedrich Merz rebels against proposed EU budget.",
    "Merz, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Austrian, and Finnish leaders sign letter to Financial Times.",
    "Budget of nearly €2 trillion must be approved by 2026 end."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "DW News",
        "title": "Germany news: Merz revolts over EU budget, report says",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/germany-news-merz-revolts-over-eu-budget-report-says-10646787",
        "published": "2026-09-29T07:54:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}