“We Are Not the EU’s Cash Machine,” Says Stocker
Six of the European Union’s main net-contributor countries are demanding significant cuts to the bloc’s proposed long-term budget. Germany, Austria, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands and Sweden say the EU’s financial plans must be reduced and more clearly focused.
The group announced its position on Thursday during a meeting at the German Chancellery in Berlin. Although the countries hope to complete negotiations on the EU’s multiannual financial framework by the end of 2026, they stressed that an agreement should not be reached “at any cost”.
Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker said the negotiations could continue into next year if the member states failed to reach a compromise. He explained that the outcome would depend on how quickly the countries could agree on a smaller overall budget and decide which areas deserved priority, as reported by the Austrian Press Agency.
Stocker sharply criticised plans to increase the EU budget to almost €2 trillion. He said the proposed rise of more than €600 billion to €700 billion could not be justified simply by referring to the EU’s new responsibilities. National governments were also facing additional duties while trying to reduce spending and make their administrations more efficient.
The Austrian chancellor questioned plans to create another 2,500 positions in the EU institutions. He argued that Brussels already had a large and well-developed administrative system, while many member states were reducing public-sector jobs.
“The net contributors are not the EU’s cash machine,” Stocker said.
Together, the six countries provide about 40 percent of the EU’s financial resources and around 70 percent of its aid to Ukraine. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz insisted that the group was not acting out of selfishness, but said a budget increase of roughly 60 percent was unacceptable.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called for stronger priorities, particularly in European security, border controls and migration policy.
French President Emmanuel Macron, whose country is also a major net contributor, did not attend the meeting. Merz said he had been in close contact with him beforehand.
Stocker said the countries were “speaking with one voice”. He also insisted that if the EU budget increased, funding for Austrian farmers must not be reduced.
