{
  "id": 10655910,
  "title": "EU’s net payers insist on ‘several hundred billion euros’ in budget cuts",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/eus-net-payers-insist-on-several-hundred-billion-euros-in-budget-cuts",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-29T08:58:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Politico EU",
    "slug": "politico-eu",
    "url": "https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-net-payers-insist-several-hundred-billion-euros-budget-cuts-mff/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In Brussels, a group of major European nations are pushing for significant reductions in the upcoming long-term budget, according to a letter obtained by POLITICO. Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland have demanded that the next draft of the budget be slashed by \"several hundred billion euros.\" This budget, known as the seven-year multi-annual financial framework, covers spending on various areas, including agriculture subsidies, defense schemes, infrastructure investments, and aid to poorer regions. The European Commission has proposed a budget of nearly €2 trillion for the period starting in 2028.\n\nHowever, these so-called \"net payers\"—countries that contribute more to the EU budget than they receive in return—want their financial obligations reduced. Collectively, these six nations finance almost 40% of all Member States' contributions, despite being in the minority. They argue that a 60% increase in the budget size compared to the current one is \"simply not realistic.\"\n\nTo mitigate the financial burden on national governments, the Commission proposes to introduce new revenue-raising powers through bloc-wide taxes, known as own resources. Proposed tax sources include e-cigarettes, vapes, and cryptocurrency transactions. However, this proposal has not been accepted by the net contributors, who maintain that the EU budget is ultimately paid for by European citizens, regardless of the financing mechanism or own resources.\n\nThe Irish presidency, which holds the rotating six-month presidency of the Council of the EU, is expected to release a detailed breakdown of the proposed budget soon. Leaders from the various nations will meet for talks over the content of the budget at a two-day summit in Brussels starting on October 15. Negotiators are eager to reach an agreement before the year ends to ensure the budget is in place when the current one expires. This is crucial to avoid complications during national elections in France, Poland, and other countries. European Council President António Costa has expressed optimism about the prospects of an agreement. However, a recent internal German diplomatic cable suggests that no areas for compromise are apparent between the two sides, with \"entrenched positions\" from both net contributor countries and those seeking higher spending remaining unchanged.",
  "summary": "Others, including those who stand to gain most from the funding, want to see spending increased.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "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."
}