AssetID: 56044626
Headline: UNCAPTIONED: Germany Calls for Smaller EU Budget as Costa Pushes New Funding
Caption: Germany Calls for Smaller EU Budget as Costa Pushes New Funding. Germany has stepped up its criticism of European Council President António Costa as EU governments struggle to reach agreement on the bloc’s next seven-year budget. The dispute centres on the European Commission’s proposed budget of almost €2 trillion for 2028-2034, which Germany and other major net contributors believe is too large. German officials are calling for cuts worth hundreds of billions of euros, arguing that national governments are already facing severe pressure on their own finances. Costa, meanwhile, has argued that reducing spending on EU priorities would require additional sources of revenue, including new EU-level taxes or “own resources”. Günter Krichbaum, the government's representative on EU affairs, said Costa’s recent comments were “not particularly helpful” and called for greater realism in the negotiations. Negotiations are being coordinated by Ireland, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU and is preparing a revised negotiating document ahead of an October leaders’ meeting. Costa has been travelling to EU capitals to build support for a deal, but the competing demands over the budget’s size and its sources of funding suggest difficult negotiations lie ahead. Instructions: THIS VIDEO MUST NOT BE EDITED FOR LENGTH TO COMBINE WITH OTHER CONTENT
Keywords: Current Affairs & Politics,Germany,Friedrich Merz,Ireland,European Council,discussions,budget,European Commission,differences,spending,reduced,priorities,sources,income,financial,pressure,António Costa,Ursula von der Leyen
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