No Deal on Ukraine Aid? Then No Deal on EU Budget, Merz Says
Merz says Germany will back the bloc’s next budget only if all member states agree on fresh Ukraine financing, as the Commission weighs joint borrowing.
- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz made the European Union's next budget conditional on fresh Ukraine support, demanding a "collective commitment" from all member states to close funding gaps.
- Kyiv faces a €70 billion shortfall in its 2027 budget due to Russian airstrikes, prompting Merz to criticize aid as "distributed unevenly and carried mostly by only a few member states."
- Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, and Sweden back Merz's demand to merge budget and Ukraine support, while the "Friends" of "Cohesion"—including Hungary, Slovakia, and The Czech Republic—oppose this linkage.
- Simon Harris of Ireland said discussing the budget without Ukraine is "very hard," yet Ignacy Niemczycki of Poland warned the link could "backfire," and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico called it "very dangerous."
- Merz asked European Council President Ant to prioritize this matter at this week's informal summit in Dublin. The European Commission will present options ahead of a special summit later this month.
56 Articles
56 Articles
Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz has given the EU an ultimatum. In a letter to President-in-Office of the Council Antonio Costa, Merz points out that Germany will block the next long-term EU budget if not all member states commit themselves to continuing Ukraine's aid.
Merz threatens to block EU's seven-year budget if member states don't commit to funding Ukraine – media
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he would not support the adoption of the next seven-year EU budget for 2028-2034 unless all member states commit to continued funding for Ukraine, according to the Financial Times.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz asks the European Union to reach an agreement on a new financial aid for Ukraine before negotiating the future European budget. Kiev needs about...
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has made Berlin’s support for the European Union budget for the period 2028-2034 conditional on a commitment by all member states to finance Ukraine in 2027 and beyond. The condition was set out in a letter to European Council President Antonio Costa, which the Financial Times has seen, reports European Truth. “A collective commitment by all of us, without exception, to make a fair contribution to covering Ukrain…
Friedrich Merz is prepared to block the European Union's seven-year budget unless all member countries agree to support Ukraine financially.
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