EU Council Presidency proposes €141 billion cut to 2028-2034 budget

The Irish Presidency of the European Union Council on Friday presented a multiannual budget proposal for 2028–2034 amounting to €1,622 billion at 2025 price levels, establishing a starting point for negotiations among member states, the Commission, and the Parliament, according to ANSA. The so-called "negobox" reduces by €141 billion (about 8%) the funding suggested by the Commission and sits €308 billion below the demands approved by the European Parliament.

Key points of the proposal — EU budget 2028-2034, €141 billion cut

• The Irish presidency presented a negobox draft (named the "negobox") that fixes the total size of the multiannual framework for 2028–2034 at €1,622 billion at 2025 prices, according to ANSA.
• The proposed amount represents a €141 billion cut (-8%) relative to the Commission’s initial proposal, making the document a more restrictive starting point for negotiations.
• Compared with the European Parliament’s demand, the proposal is about €308 billion lower, reflecting clear disagreement between the institutions on the next framework’s ambition level.
• The budget adjustment affects policy areas of the Union in full; the repayment of debt originating from NextGenerationEU is maintained at €149.3 billion, per ANSA.

Revenues and maintained financial measures — EU own resources

• Despite the spending cuts, the Irish presidency kept the five new own resources proposed earlier by the Commission to fund part of the 2028–2034 framework, even amid reservations expressed by several member states.
• These new own resources include:
  • a contribution calculated on large corporations;
  • revenues tied to tobacco products and electronic waste;
  • and a share of ETS and CBAM revenues (emissions trading system and border carbon adjustment).
• Keeping these sources shows an effort to reconcile fiscal discipline with funding mechanisms regarded as more stable and aligned with the EU’s climate and fiscal objectives.

Relevance for Brazilians and descendants — direct and indirect impacts

• The ANSA piece does not mention direct impacts on Brazil or specific effects for Brazilian communities or descendants of Italians abroad, per the source text.
• Still, changes to the EU budget can influence in the medium term international cooperation programs, research agreements and academic mobility, and funds for migration and integration — elements that potentially affect foreign residents in the EU or cooperation projects with third countries. ANSA, however, does not detail these connections in this note.
• For readers interested in immigration and citizenship topics, Raízes Italianas follows institutional developments related to life in Italy and European policies — see more at /vida-na-italia and /cidadania. Updates on the topic are also in /noticias.

Next steps and institutional context — the Irish presidency and negotiations

• The Irish presidency’s proposal was formally sent to the Twenty-Seven member states as a starting point for negotiations among the Council, the Commission, and the European Parliament, as described by ANSA.
• The document is negotiatory and non-binding: it is a negobox intended to guide the next rounds of discussions in the Council and interactions with the Parliament, which is expected to press for its budgetary claims.
• The process will follow the usual interinstitutional negotiation path for the multiannual framework, with the Irish presidency working to build majorities in the Council while the Parliament and Commission shape their responses.

Conclusion The proposal presented by the Irish presidency significantly reduces allocations for 2028–2034 relative to the Commission and Parliament, while maintaining the additional funding sources proposed — a central issue in the negotiations now opening between European institutions.

Source: ANSA