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Friedrich Merz hosts EU leaders to advocate for a smaller, more modernized European Union budget

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is hosting a group of like-minded European Union leaders in Berlin to push for a smaller and more modernized budget for the 2028-2034 period. The administration announced that the talks aim to secure allies for the upcoming negotiations this autumn, with Merz describing previous proposals as unaffordable and unbalanced. Merz invited representatives from the Netherlands, Austria, Finland, and Denmark to the Chancellery for lunch to build consensus among the "frugals," a group of countries that pay more into the EU budget than they receive. The goal is to cut several hundred billion euros from previous proposals to ensure the budget remains manageable and reflects evolving priorities such as defense, security, and competitiveness. The initiative aligns with the broader European goals outlined by Antonio Costa, President of the European Council, who emphasized the importance of reaching a budget agreement by the end of 2026 to ensure uninterrupted funding for farmers, businesses, and researchers across the continent.

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