Ireland proposes 141-billion-euro cut to EU's next long-term budget; Germany says it's not enough

Ireland, which holds the EU's rotating presidency, proposed cutting the European Commission's roughly 2-trillion-euro plan for the 2028-2034 budget by 141 billion euros, with international aid cut hardest at 17 percent and agriculture and regional funds cut only 3 percent. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, speaking for a group of six net-contributor states demanding cuts of “several hundred billion euros”, said the size of the proposal “is not a basis for agreement”. EU leaders are set to discuss the draft at a summit in Brussels on 15-16 October, with officials aiming for a deal by Christmas to avoid the talks dragging into 2027's election year.

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