Members of the European Parliament have stated in a resolution that they believe the EU budget should be increased by about ten percent, significantly more than the European Commission had proposed and much more than most EU countries are willing to contribute to the EU.
More Defense
Most EU politicians agree with the European Commissioners' position that the EU should soon not only increase spending on NATO defense but also that the EU countries should develop and procure defense equipment much more jointly. This would allow the European countries to adopt a much more independent position, separate from the United States.
More Autonomy
Moreover, most EU politicians, like most EU countries, agree with the new economic and industrial direction that 'Brussels' must take in order to become an independent economic power, situated between the United States and China. The higher import tariffs imposed by President Trump and the competition with China have clearly shown that the EU must take a much more autonomous position, both militarily and economically.
Promotion
Smaller EU
Especially the most frugal EU countries believe that the necessary higher expenditures must be covered by cuts to other budget items in the EU budget. They particularly indicate that they want a 'smaller' EU, with fewer European tasks and powers (read: less budget). Additionally, the agriculturally oriented countries believe there should not be drastic cuts to the Agricultural Budget.
The European Commission has partly accommodated this by transferring some of the European supervisory tasks to the EU countries themselves and by replacing many European post-controls with production agreements in advance. Moreover, many of the current subsidy funds would be merged into a national fund under national supervision.
Heads of Government
In the coming months, delegations from the EU countries and the European Parliament will negotiate with the EU Commissioners to reach a common position. Experience over recent years has shown that the Parliament can want a lot, but ultimately it is the EU countries (read: the heads of government) that determine how much the EU budget may be increased.
European Court of Auditors
Not only many Members of the European Parliament, but also the authoritative European Court of Auditors have expressed strong criticism of this new approach, which according to them leads to less European guidance and unity and to increased differences and competition between (industry sectors in) EU countries.
The extensive and numerous changes proposed by the European Commission for the EU long-term budget may not improve the financing and spending of resources for EU policies and programs after 2028, stated the European Court of Auditors (ECA) in a recent opinion.
Certain aspects fundamentally change the way EU expenditures have been planned, managed, and controlled until now. The auditors therefore warn of risks to sound financial management and urge stronger safeguards.