{
  "id": 3755072,
  "title": "EU budget must bankroll Europe’s independence, von der Leyen says",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/27/eu-budget-must-bankroll-europes-independence-von-der-leyen-says",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-27T14:02:23.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Politico EU",
    "slug": "politico-eu",
    "url": "https://www.politico.eu/article/ursula-von-der-leyen-eu-budget-independence-germany-cuts/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has emphasized that the EU’s upcoming seven-year budget must finance the bloc’s independence from foreign influences. Six countries, headed by Germany, are advocating for cuts of hundreds of billions of euros from the spending package. Von der Leyen’s call for a larger investment program comes as the EU seeks to lessen its dependence on Chinese supplies, critical raw materials, American technology, and fossil fuels. She stated, “The next budget will be the financial arm for our independence.” The Commission has proposed a budget of nearly €2 trillion. Germany and five allies — Austria, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, and Sweden — are seeking cuts, while Italy and Spain are pushing for a larger budget. The size of the budget will dictate the extent to which the EU can back von der Leyen’s economic agenda, including investments in strategic industries, energy, and artificial intelligence. “With over €450 billion from the European Competitiveness Fund and the Horizon Europe program, we will support the entire chain — from research to innovation, from laboratories to business, and from initial prototypes to industrial production,” von der Leyen said. However, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his allies argue that the proposed increase is unaffordable amid national budget cuts. Merz stated, “The current proposals call for an increase of up to 60 percent, which is simply unaffordable in times of budget consolidation across all member states. The proposals must be cut by several hundred billion, and these cuts will have to affect all areas.” European Council President António Costa is now working to reach a compromise among the governments. While governments acknowledge the need for increased spending, they are reluctant to reduce funding for existing areas. Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, for instance, opposes cuts to cohesion and agriculture, while Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico also opposes cuts to farming and cohesion. Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nausėda also called for more money for defense and critical infrastructure, emphasizing that Europe’s new challenges cannot be addressed at the expense of cohesion and the Common Agricultural Policy. All governments aim to finalize the budget package before national elections in several EU countries to avoid constraints on their maneuverability.",
  "summary": "Commission president’s pitch for a €2 trillion spending plan comes as the bloc weighs how to reduce its reliance on the U.S. and China — and faces a German-led push for hundreds of billions of euros in cuts.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Le Monde Economie",
        "title": "Face à des patrons français « amoureux déçus de l’Europe », Ursula von der Leyen défend une Union « qui produit, investit et protège »",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/27/face-a-des-patrons-francais-amoureux-decus-de-leurope-ursula-von-der",
        "published": "2026-08-27T16:00:07.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}