The EU should consider adopting a three- or four-year budget, rather than attempting to plan the Union’s financial needs for seven years, said President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides in an interview with Politico on the sidelines of the first day of the EU Leaders’ Summit in Brussels.
“We are discussing the 2034 budget, and we are currently in 2026,” the President said, noting that a three- or four-year framework might be more readily accepted by certain member states. “Why not open up the political debate?” he asked.
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“We don’t know what the situation will be in 2030 or 2031,” he noted, referring to successive crises: “Look at what happened with COVID, with the war in Ukraine—it’s not feasible to declare all your priorities today,” he added.
The EU’s seven-year budget, totaling approximately 2 trillion euros, must be approved unanimously by the 27 member states, with two entrenched camps facing off: the so-called “frugal” countries—including Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden—which are pushing for a smaller budget, and the “Friends of Cohesion,” an informal group of 17 member states that oppose major cuts to traditional policies, agriculture, and regional funds. EU law allows for a budget “of at least five years,” yet all multiannual financial frameworks have been seven-year plans since 1993.
Mr. Christodoulides also estimated that the budget would be cut by about one-tenth compared to the Commission’s proposal. “I think we may end up at 10% or 11%. A double-digit percentage,” he said. Last week, the Irish Presidency proposed an 8% cut compared to the Commission’s proposal.
Regarding the timeline, the President of the Republic noted that the chances of reaching a political agreement by the end of the year are dwindling. “Everyone understood that a political agreement had to be reached by the end of the year. Now, with the situation in Spain and the elections there,” it is less likely to happen, he said.
According to POLITICO, an EU official familiar with the negotiations described the idea of a shorter timeframe as “strange.”
