Key facts
- European governments have weakened a commitment to finalize the bloc's next seven-year budget by year-end.
- Italy and France are resisting European Council President António Costa's push for a deal by December.
- Nations fear time pressure will undermine their leverage in budget negotiations.
- A draft Council conclusion calls for a "timely agreement" rather than a year-end deadline.
- EU leaders also condemned U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to lift sanctions on Russian diesel.
European governments have diluted a commitment to finalize negotiations for the bloc’s next seven-year budget by year-end, according to draft Council conclusions. European Council President António Costa is pushing leaders to conclude talks during a December summit, before 2027 elections in France, Italy, and Poland potentially disrupt the process. However, several nations, including Italy and France, are hesitant to commit to the end-of-year deadline, fearing it could weaken their negotiating positions.
Leaders are set to convene in Brussels to discuss an Irish budget proposal that includes €159 billion in cuts. Other topics on the agenda include energy prices, enlargement, Ukraine, and migration. Two EU diplomats informed POLITICO that Italy and France specifically requested the removal of language referencing a "final agreement by the end of the year" from the Council conclusions.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated on Wednesday that Italy would not sign an agreement solely to meet a deadline, emphasizing that a deal would only be signed when it is beneficial for the country. Spain's snap elections on November 29 also raise concerns about meeting the year-end target.
The revised draft conclusions now call for a "timely agreement," reiterating that an end-of-year deal would enable EU funding to commence in 2028, the same wording used in June. Additionally, EU leaders condemned U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to lift sanctions on Russian diesel and expressed regret over U.S. sanctions against the International Criminal Court, pledging to work with Washington to reverse these measures.