Europeupdated 2h ago2 min read
EU Leaders Clash Over 2028-2034 Budget as Marine Le Pen Demands Delay After French Elections
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EU negotiators clash over roughly 1.8–2 trillion euro budget for 2028–2034, with Germany opposing. Marine Le Pen urges delaying the EU long-term budget until after France's elections.
8 outlets told this the same way.
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Budget talks before elections
European Union leaders met in Brussels to negotiate the EU multiannual budget for 2028 to 2034, while disputes over its size and spending priorities continued and leaders aimed to reach a deal at a summit scheduled for December 17-18. Marine Le Pen called for delaying agreement on the European Union's long-term budget until after next year’s French elections, warning that reaching an agreement before then would be a “democratic scandal.”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz rejected the latest proposal advanced by the current Irish EU presidency, describing it as unacceptable. The Irish EU presidency presented an adjusted proposal that reduces the budget by about 140 billion euros compared with the initial proposal, bringing it to 1.6 trillion euros, and the proposal was not accepted by either negotiating bloc.
Competing camps and taxes
Germany, led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Sweden and the Netherlands argued for substantial spending cuts, while France, led by President Emmanuel Macron, pressed for an ambitious budget with greater funding for agriculture, cohesion, and regional development. France also pressed to provide new European financial resources by imposing taxes on digital services, crypto assets, and gambling, and the French official position included a warning that there could be no agreement without “substantial” new EU-wide taxes.
The Bruegel think tank argued that only France and Germany can help break the impasse, while political calculations linked to the French elections and the difficulties facing the German government complicated reaching a settlement. European Council President Antonio Costa was set to lead negotiations, with an extraordinary meeting added in late November to help get the budget over the line.
Ukraine aid and deadlines
European leaders planned to address the Ukraine file on Friday with the presence of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, after discussing the budget and relations with China. The European Union plans to provide Ukraine with 920 million euros to restore and strengthen its energy infrastructure ahead of the winter season, according to the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
The negotiations required unanimous agreement among member states, and the budget talks were described as among the most contentious issues within the bloc. Marine Le Pen said she would personally take charge of finishing the budget negotiations if she becomes president of France, while she also urged the European Commission to abandon programs she said were beyond the EU’s powers.