As part of the current negotiations for a long-term EU budget, Austria is threatening to be the first country to veto the agreement. “What is currently on the table is unacceptable. There is a pain threshold for Austria. If that pain threshold is exceeded, I will not agree,” Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker (ÖVP) told the “Welt”.
Stocker, who also serves as the head of the conservative ÖVP party, confirmed that he knows “very exactly” where this pain threshold lies, though he provided no specific details.
The treaty mandates that the EU budget must be passed unanimously. Stocker, however, clarified that his goal is not to obstruct a deal. “In the end, there must be a compromise-but not at any cost. This will only succeed if the new proposal is realistic,” he explained.
The background to this deadlock involves the upcoming seven-year EU budget (2028-2034). EU Council President Antonio Costa aims to finalize negotiations this year, following a recent summit ten days ago where no consensus was reached. The EU Commission proposed an overall budget of €1,985 billion for the seven-year period, while the alternative compromise put forth by the Irish presidency is nearly €160 billion lower. Additionally, the Commission demanded 2,500 new positions for EU officials.
Austria, along with Germany, Finland, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Denmark-all of whom describe themselves as “frugal” nations-are rejecting both the proposed volume of the budget and the demand for additional staff. The EU institutions currently employ over 60,000 people, the majority of whom are civil servants.
Stocker strongly criticized the call for 2,500 extra jobs, calling it “completely unwarranted and far-fetched.” Instead, the Austrian Chancellor called on Brussels to downsize personnel within the EU. “We are saving 2,600 administrative positions in Austria; instead, we are increasingly using AI. I expect the same thing from EU institutions; Brussels can do it,” he argued. He concluded by welcoming any reduction in EU bureaucracy stemming from a smaller staff: “They always talk about there being too much regulation and bureaucracy in the EU. If the EU bureaucracy is toned down because there are fewer employees producing that bureaucracy in the future, then I would be very pleased with that.”
