Prime Minister of the Netherlands: The current EU budget proposal is unacceptable

Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten said on Friday that the proposal for the long-term EU budget presented by the European Commission is unacceptable to the Netherlands because it means that the contribution of his country, which is one of the largest contributors to the EU coffers, would increase even further.

Jetten said after an informal meeting of EU leaders in Cyprus that the current EU budget proposal is “totally unacceptable, both in terms of size and national contribution.” – We are one of the largest contributors to the EU budget, and the Commission's proposal would mean a huge increase in contributions for the Netherlands and some other countries. This is unacceptable, said the head of the Dutch government.

This is not a big surprise, because the Netherlands – together with Austria, Sweden and Denmark – forms the so-called thrifty. Countries in this group want a smaller budget and reduced contributions; contrary to the countries that benefit most from the funds, such as, among others, Poland, which are pushing for increased spending. Jetten said EU leaders held a very interesting debate on Friday about what measures would be reasonable.

The politician admitted on Friday that the EU needs a modernized multiannual financial framework that focuses on the Community's priorities for the coming years. In his opinion, some of the EC's proposals would actually lead to increased competitiveness of the European economy. However, the Dutch Prime Minister expressed his belief that the Commission should present a better long-term budget proposal for 2028-34.

The head of government in The Hague predicted that during the budget negotiations, EU leaders would face a “bloody fight”, similar to that which could be observed during the negotiations of the current budget framework for 2021-27. However, the politician noted that a lot also depends on the Irish presidency, because Ireland will take over the six-month presidency of the EU Council in July this year.

The draft budget presented by the European Commission in 2025 assumes that the EU's multiannual financial framework for the next seven years (2028-34) will amount to approximately EUR 2 trillion; this is the most in the history of the EU. More funds are to be allocated to the competitiveness of the EU economy, defence, research and new technologies.

From Brussels Jowita Kiwnik Pargana (PAP)

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