European Council President António Costa said EU leaders need to agree the bloc’s next long-term budget — covering 2028 to 2034 — by the end of this year, after meeting Croatia’s Prime Minister Andrej Plenković in Zagreb.
Costa stated that he was visiting EU capitals to hear national positions directly before leaders meet together, arguing the European Council works more efficiently when he has spoken with each leader at home, the European Council informed in a release on Wednesday.
He said the budget deal must be reached before the end of 2026 so funds can start flowing at the beginning of 2028, warning that delays could leave gaps such as “a farmer without a payment” or “a student without a grant.”
The European Council chief said the EU was operating in a “fundamentally different geopolitical environment” from when the current budget was agreed in 2020, and that the next budget would need to give the Union capacity to invest in areas including defence and security, competitiveness, innovation and “strategic resilience.”, he said.
Enlargement and Ukraine also discussed
Croatia’s approach to the budget talks was described as constructive by Costa in his remarks following the meeting.
Enlargement was also on the agenda, with Costa naming the Western Balkans, Moldova and Ukraine as countries and regions involved in the process, and saying it should remain “merit-based” and tied to European values.
On Ukraine, Costa reiterated support for Kyiv and called on Russia to stop the war and not escalate it.
He also expressed solidarity with Germany after what he described as a recent attack in Leipzig, calling it “unacceptable Russian behaviour.”
