Friedrich Merz is pictured during a meeting with the British Prime Minister (not in picture) on October 8, 2026 at the Chancellery in Berlin.Tobias Schwarz/AFP via Getty Images

Germany warns EU that €159B budget cuts are not enough – POLITICO

by · POLITICO

BRUSSELS — Germany and its allies rebuffed Ireland’s plan to downsize the bloc’s next seven-year budget, arguing that the proposed cuts are not enough.

On Saturday, the Irish presidency of the Council of the EU, which is steering the talks, proposed cutting around 8% from the bloc’s total budget from 2028 to 2034 in a bid to assuage a German-led camp demanding reductions of several hundred billions euros.

But Dublin’s hopes of facilitating a deal were immediately dashed by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, one the key players in the negotiations as his country contributes to approximately one-quarter of the bloc’s common budget.