Siegfried Mureșan rejects the proposed 8% cuts to the EU budget

The European Parliament categorically rejects the 8% cut to the European Union’s future multiannual budget, proposed by the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU ahead of next week’s European summit. Siegfried Mureșan, the European Parliament’s chief negotiator for the budget dossier, argues that the package ignores the position adopted by MEPs.

The Irish proposal provides for a budget 8% lower than the level initially presented by the European Commission. In April, the European Parliament instead called for a moderate 10% increase.

Mureșan warns that the cuts would affect areas considered priorities: defense, economic competitiveness, agriculture, and cohesion policy. He argues that reducing funding would contradict the objectives assumed by the European Union regarding security, support for farmers, and the development of regions, including those located near the borders with Ukraine.

The MEP also criticizes the lack of proposals concerning the EU’s own resources, which could provide additional revenue without increasing national contributions. For the new budget to enter into force, it must be approved unanimously by the governments of all 27 member states and then receive the vote of the European Parliament.