Proposal: EU budget should increase by 10 percent

BRUSSELS – The proposal by the negotiators to amend the European Commission’s budget proposal on, among other things, these points will be presented Thursday in the budget committee of the European Parliament.

“The budget of the European Union must be ambitious and sufficient to meet people’s expectations,” negotiator Siegfried Mureşan (centre-right EPP) explained on Thursday. More EU budget is needed “to protect citizens and support our economy,” he said.

The Commission’s proposal is based on a budget of 2,000 billion euros, instead of the current 1,200 billion euros. The European Parliament wants a multiannual budget of 2,200 billion euros. The Netherlands considers the 2,000 billion euros proposed by the Commission unacceptable, as do Germany and France, among others.

The parliamentary negotiators are advocating a package of EU own resources that should generate around 60 billion euros annually. With this they want to ease the EU burden on the member states. Member states must contribute to the EU budget based on the size of their economy.

The European Parliament will not accept an EU budget without more own resources, negotiator Carla Tavares (Social Democrats, S&D) stated. The Commission also wants EU own resources, such as a European tax on tobacco and companies. Many member states are not in favor of this.

(11 December 2025)