Germany Threatens to Block Next EU Budget without Ukraine Funding Deal: Report
Merz said Germany will not back the bloc’s next budget unless all 27 members share Ukraine’s financing burden, as Kyiv faces a €70 billion gap.
- On November 9, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz sent a letter to European Council President António Costa conditioning Berlin's support for the 2028–2034 EU budget on all 27 member states collectively financing Ukraine's projected €70 billion 2027 shortfall.
- Mounting funding needs prompted the demand, as Ukraine faces a €70 billion shortfall in 2027 while Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic secured exemptions from last year's €90 billion loan that Merz now seeks to prevent.
- Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico denounced the linkage as a "textbook case of blackmail," while Czech officials and Hungary resisted further contributions, citing high deficit levels and cohesion fund priorities.
- Merz insisted supporting Ukraine is "a shared European task, not a task for individual member states," but Poland's deputy minister Ignacy Niemczycki warned that binding these files could "backfire" and make a deal "even more difficult."
- Leaders will test this leverage at an informal Dublin summit on Thursday, ahead of the November 26–27 budget meeting; because the seven-year budget requires unanimity, Merz's threat to withhold support creates a critical impasse.
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Germany Links EU Budget to Ukraine Funding as Slovakia Resists - FINCHANNEL
BRUSSELS — Germany has raised the pressure in Europe’s debate over EU budget Ukraine funding, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz saying every member state must support Kyiv and linking Berlin’s backing for the bloc’s next seven-year budget to a collective commitment on Ukraine. The intervention has opened a confrontation with Slovakia and other governments that have […]
derwesten.de
Merz calls for additional billions for Ukraine and comes up against strong resistance. An EU leader even accuses the Chancellor of "extortion."
Germany has said that it will keep it locked until all countries contribute to a new loan: some are very angry
Many European leaders were outraged after Friedrich Merz said he would block the EU's seven-year budget if no agreement was reached on financial aid for Ukraine. They called the announcement "typical blackmail" and predicted heated negotiations.
Friedrich Merz sent a letter to the President of the European Council suggesting that he would only approve the EU budget if aid for Ukraine was discussed at the summit next Friday in Dublin.
The EU and its Member States have already mobilised more than 235 billion euros for Ukraine. However, CDU Chancellor Friedrich Merz wants to impose further billion commitments and, if necessary, block the next EU budget. Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico cannot be intimidated by this. He speaks of blackmail and reminds Berlin that Slovakia also has a veto right.
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