EU leaders left their October 15 summit in Brussels without agreement on the bloc’s 2028–34 budget, and European Council President António Costa scheduled another meeting for November 26 as he seeks a year-end deal.
The talks exposed deep divisions over the budget’s overall size, how it should be funded and which priorities should receive money. The European Commission’s proposal is worth nearly €2 trillion, while Ireland, which holds the rotating EU Council presidency, put forward a smaller plan that cut about €141 billion from the Commission’s figure. That compromise drew objections from countries that contribute more to the EU budget than they receive, which say the spending would cost too much.
It also faced resistance from countries seeking to protect funding for agriculture and less wealthy regions, as well as criticism from the Commission. Costa is expected to present revised figures before the November meeting in an effort to narrow the gaps. He is pressing governments to settle the budget by the end of 2026, so the necessary laws can be adopted in time for funding to start in January 2028.