In a short time, the meeting between the competent Commissioners and its top executives is expected to begin, who will try to reach an agreement on the long-term budget of the Union, amounting to 1.8 trillion euros.
The meeting is considered to be of the utmost importance, which has created high tension for several weeks between the MEPs and the Commission headed by
The warnings about the downvote
The Commission is holding these discussions with members of the European Parliament, which the executive submitted for the multi-annual budget, known as the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), which is due to start in 2028.
“The Commission has not yet put anything on the table,” Siegfried Muresan, Parliament’s chief budget negotiator and a Romanian MEP from the center-right European People’s Party (EPP), said ahead of the meeting on Wednesday morning.
“It is very dangerous to continue drafting the budget in a state of conflict, and we believe that would not be wise,” he warned.
The Commission and Parliament have until November 12 to find a compromise, when MEPs are expected to pass a resolution formally rejecting the controversial part of the MFF.
At the heart of the dispute are planned changes to regional cohesion payments and agriculture, as Parliament and regional leaders are excluded from the decision-making process on budget allocation.
ELK vs. ELK
EPP chairman Manfred Weber — and a party colleague of von der Leyen — told POLITICO that his group is reacting to ensure the budget “serves the needs of Europeans” and that the threat of outright rejection is necessary “to set the tone early so that our key demands are heard in constructive talks with the Commission.”
Weber said the Commission needs to find a solution that covers three main priorities:
“First, a strong role for our regions.
Secondly, a Common Agricultural Policy that shows we have listened to our farmers.
Thirdly, safeguarding the role and powers of the European Parliament”.
“It is clear to me that the Commission and Parliament must remain united on something as fundamental as the EU budget,” he said, taking a more consensual tone. “Today I am optimistic that we will find a solution.”
Socialists and Democrats (S&D) leader Irace García warned the Commission of the consequences if it ignores Parliament’s demands.
“Together with the other pro-EU groups, we are ready to reject the national plans in the next MFF,” he warned before the meeting. Retraining workers, protecting citizens from economic shocks and reducing housing prices are issues she said must be addressed to secure her party’s support.
The difficult position of the Commission
Despite the absence of a concrete proposal to MEPs, the Commission is well aware of Parliament’s requests and understands the sense of urgency, Mouressan said.
“We feel there needs to be a proposal from their side that satisfies Parliament within the next few days,” he said, adding that it was a “matter of political will” for the executive to fix its proposals.
“We have heard and are aware that there are three areas of concern for Parliament, and we will engage constructively with them on those,” a Commission official told Politico.
Poland’s budget commissioner, Piotr Serafin, will have to balance Parliament’s demands with pressure from angry member states — some of which say they will react strongly if the Commission substantially changes the budget proposal.
“The German government … will only agree to a fundamentally modernized fiscal framework,” a German official said.
Eastern and Southern European countries that criticize the Commission’s proposal generally support Parliament’s arguments, according to several officials.
One diplomat — who, like others, spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions — said his colleagues were increasingly complaining that MEPs were “blocking everything” and “risking leaving our countries without a clear investment plan.”
