President of European Commission amends EU’s Long-term budget proposal, increasing it by 700bn Euros

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has introduced amendments to the European Union’s long-term budget proposal for the period 2028-2034, valued at around 2 trillion Euro, an increase of nearly 700 billion Euro compared to the current budget.

According to the German Press Agency (DPA), Von der Leyen informed European Parliament President Roberta Metsola and the current EU Council presidency in writing of possible amendments to her proposal. These amendments include granting EU regions greater decision-making autonomy, providing additional guarantees for the agricultural sector, and strengthening the Parliament’s role in the process of allocating budget funds.

Under the revised proposal, a portion of the EU budget could be dedicated exclusively to rural development, alongside existing funding under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), provided that member states approve the plan.

This move follows objections from major political groups in the European Parliament to the Commission’s initial proposal, which they argued did not sufficiently take into account the importance of regional policy or the Parliament’s authority in spending decisions.