During his arrival at the EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, Chancellor Friedrich Merz of the CDU insisted that the plans regarding the new multi-year financial framework (MFR) of the European Union must undergo significant reduction. Merz stated that the proposal from the Irish Presidency is far from being ready, arguing that the EU’s joint budget needs to be considerably scaled back compared to the Commission’s proposals. He added that paying such substantial contributions to the European Union is not sustainable for any member state.
Merz anticipates “very difficult negotiations” and does not expect a final decision to be reached this weekend or in the immediate days. Nevertheless, he stressed the importance of re-examining the priorities Europe intends to set. In his view, the fundamental priorities must be competitiveness and defense, although he noted that progress in these areas has not been as swift as he had initially hoped at the beginning of the year. The Chancellor concluded by stating that if Europe fails to significantly reduce its “excessive bureaucracy,” then discussing financial matters becomes largely meaningless.
