Cyprus suggests €32.8bn cut to next EU budget to bridge divisions
Cyprus has proposed a 2% reduction—worth €32.8 billion—in the EU’s draft €2 trillion budget for 2028–2034, aiming to narrow differences between fiscally conservative “frugal” states and cohesion-focused member countries. The figures, presented for the first time, will form the basis for upcoming negotiations.
The race to agree on a new long-term budget for the European Union reached a major milestone on Thursday, as Cyprus, the country holding the rotating presidency, unveiled its compromise proposal for a 2% overall cut, worth about €32.8 billion, News.Az reports, citing Euronews.
RECOMMENDED STORIES
"Our cut is the compromise that addresses all voices in the Council," Marilena Raouna, Cyprus deputy minister for European affairs, said on Thursday afternoon.
"We believe this is a balanced text that reflects the position of all member states."
The EU is negotiating its seven-year budget for the period 2028-2034, which will set its long-term political priorities and spending capacity.
The cut would be made to the draft budget tabled in July last year by the European Commission, which came with an eye-grabbing headline figure of almost €2 trillion, the bloc's largest ever.
The reduction suggested by Cyprus is a delicate balancing act between a group of member states that pushed to keep the size of the Commission's draft, or even increase it, and another group, usually dubbed the "frugals," more recently self-styled as "the modernists", that demanded pronounced reductions across the board.
One of the loudest voices in the latter camp is Sweden, which, for example, wanted a cut of up to 20%, dismissed by others as "unrealistic".
"The positions in the Council have been strong and opposing," Raouna said.
"That was a given from the very beginning. And yet, we all agree that this budget needs to allow the Union to deliver on its strategic priorities."
The text by the Cypriot presidency includes, for the first time, explicit numbers on the expenditure programs for the next EU budget, whereas previous efforts were mostly focused on agreeing on the overall structure.
According to the diplomats involved in the discussion, it is high time to start discussing the numbers, since it is only then that member states are forced to make tough choices on which should be the priorities for the next years' spending.
By Ulviyya Salmanli
Similar news
