European Council president Charles Michel has called a special European summit on the 20th of February to discuss the EU 2021-2027 budget.
“The time has come to reach an agreement on the upcoming EU budget,” he wrote in the invitation to the 27 heads of state and government.
As the current budget will only run to the end of the year, it is urgent the member states agree on how the European budget for 2021-2027 will be distributed.
“Any delay would create serious practical and political problems, compromise the continuation of current programs and policies and the launch of new ones,” Charles Michel added.
“I am fully aware that these negotiations will be among the most difficult we have ever had. But I am also convinced that with common sense and determination, we can reach an agreement that will benefit all Europeans,” he said. He appealed to everyone to “prove they can compromise.”
The member states are currently very divided over the next EU budget, which will be the first without the UK as it is still due to leave the EU on the 31st of January.
Finland, which held the presidency for the second semester of 2019, submitted a proposal for a budget of 1,087 billion euros at the end of that year. That represents 1.07% of the member state’s gross national income. The proposal it presented to the European Commission included cuts amounting to 200 billion euros.
The cuts included in the proposal were judged “unacceptable” by the European Commission and Parliament.
The Brussels Times
