Netherlands will not back Irish EU budget proposal, says Heinen
Finance Minister Eelco Heinen has rejected the Irish EU presidency's proposal for the EU multiannual budget.
The Netherlands will not agree to the proposal for the EU multiannual budget that the Irish presidency presented on Saturday, Finance Minister Eelco Heinen said in a statement.
The proposal, presented by Ireland, which holds the rotating presidency of the EU, would set the budget for 2028-2034 at €1,622 billion in 2025 prices. That is 8% less than the €1.76 trillion the European Commission had proposed, but still well above the current budget of €1.2 trillion, which runs until the end of 2027.
The Irish proposal cuts the Commission's plan but stays well above today's budget
€ billion
The Irish proposal cuts the Commission's plan but stays well above today's budget (€ billion). Highest: Commission proposal 2028-2034, 1,760; lowest: Current budget 2021-2027, 1,200; 3 items. Source: Irish EU presidency, European Commission.
| Item | € billion |
|---|---|
| Current budget 2021-2027 | 1200.0 |
| Commission proposal 2028-2034 | 1760.0 |
| Irish proposal 2028-2034 | 1622.0 |
“The Netherlands cannot agree to this proposal either,” Heinen said. “Together with other countries, the Netherlands wants to see a much bigger reduction of the budget. So we are sending the proposal straight back.”
The European Parliament has also rejected the Irish proposal, but for the opposite reason: it objects to the cuts.