EU leaders gathered in Brussels on Thursday for a two-day summit to negotiate the bloc’s nearly €2 trillion budget for 2028–2034, with deep divisions over spending threatening to derail a deal before year-end. The urgency stems from fears that upcoming elections—particularly in France, where far-right frontrunner Marine Le Pen has vowed to slash France’s contributions—could complicate future negotiations. Le Pen called the push to finalize the budget before the 2027 votes a “democratic scandal” .
The latest draft conclusions, revised Wednesday, now refer only to a “timely agreement” rather than a firm December deadline, signaling waning confidence in a swift resolution . Ireland’s presidency proposed €140 billion in cuts to the Commission’s initial plan, drawing opposition from both the “frugal” camp—led by Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands—and the 16 “Friends of Cohesion” nations, including Italy, Spain, and Poland, which seek to preserve funding for agriculture and regional development .
Latvia, aligned with Estonia, Lithuania, Finland, Poland, and Romania, is pushing for additional funding for eastern flank countries and dedicated support for the Rail Baltica project, arguing these nations face heightened security risks . Meanwhile, Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar prioritized securing EU funds for border protection, framing it as a non-negotiable national interest .
