Germany, the EU’s largest net contributor, alongside five fiscally conservative nations (Austria, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, and Sweden), is demanding cuts of several hundred billion euros from the European Commission’s proposed budget for 2028-2034. The European Commission’s Multiannual Financial Framework proposal totals nearly 2 trillion euros, representing roughly a 60% increase over the current budget. According to a leaked internal document, Berlin is specifically targeting a 400 billion euro reduction, while acknowledging that its annual contribution would still exceed 50 billion euros. The six opposing countries, which collectively fund approximately 40% of the EU budget, are also rejecting new common EU debt and the expansion of institutional staff by 2,500 positions.
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