EU Could Not Achieve Budget Agreement

EU Could Not Achieve Budget Agreement

"We were unable to reach an agreement on the EU budget," said the President of the Council of the European Union, Charles Michel. European Union (EU) Council President Charles Michel and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen held a press conference at the end of the EU Leaders Summit on the budget in Brussels. "We could not reach an agreement on the EU budget," said Michel, adding that more time is needed to reach a consensus on the budget and that the budget is a difficult issue to negotiate. Reminding that it is necessary to work together for the European project, Michel said, "It is not easy to reconcile those with different concerns, different interests, different views. We will continue our efforts to reach an agreement." Von der Leyen also said, "We had long negotiations with leaders. We will continue to work. We have a long way to get results." used the expression. "WE MUST MAKE MORE EFFORT" Pointing out that the budget is an urgent issue, Von der Leyen said, "If there is no consensus in the budget, we will not have the resources for Erasmus, research programs, regional development, and border management. Therefore, we must make more efforts." Von der Leyen stressed the need for an effective budget against key challenges such as digital transformation, climate change and Britain's separation from the EU. Stating that the negotiations are part of democracy, Von der Leyen said that 27 member states have 27 different priorities. On the other hand, EU leaders are expected to reunite in the future and discuss the budget issue. The budget is one of the most difficult to negotiate for the EU. At the summit, leaders shared their views on the size and spending areas of the Multi-Annual Financial Framework (MFF), which includes the union's budget for the 2021-2027 period.