EU budget talks stall as leaders question December deadline
António Costa will take charge of negotiations after leaders largely rejected an Irish presidency proposal to reduce the budget by €141 billion.
EU leaders left their Brussels summit without resolving differences over the bloc’s next seven-year budget, with several governments questioning whether an agreement must be reached by December 2026. A further summit is scheduled for 26 November.
European Council President António Costa is due to put forward a fresh negotiating proposal within weeks. He will take over the talks after an Irish presidency compromise, which proposed cutting the overall budget by €141 billion, was largely rejected.
Costa has warned that agreement on the Multiannual Financial Framework requires unanimity by December to leave enough time for the legislation needed before funding begins on 1 January 2028. The summit conclusions softened earlier wording on the deadline, instead saying a deal before the end of 2026 would allow legislation to be adopted during 2027.
Caretaker Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson questioned whether an agreement was possible before the year ended and said there was no hurry. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Italy would not accept an unfavourable agreement simply to meet a deadline.
Divisions remain between a German-led group of six net contributors seeking substantial reductions and the 17-country Friends of Cohesion bloc, which wants to protect established funding programmes for poorer regions. Priorities also differ within those groups, including over agricultural support and defence spending.
