Members of the European Parliament threaten to block the EU budget

The four major centrist factions in the European Parliament—the European People's Party, the Socialists and Democrats, Renew Europe, and the Greens—have warned European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that they will reject the draft long-term EU budget unless the Commission changes a significant part of the plan. This was reported by Politico, citing a letter sent by the group leaders on Thursday morning.

They reject the Commission's proposal to combine the funds for agriculture and regional development into a single “national fund” that would be managed by the governments of the member states. In their opinion, this proposal would limit the participation of the regions and weaken the Union's control mechanisms.

If the proposal is formally rejected during the plenary session on November 12, the Commission would have to present a new, revised draft budget for the years 2028 to 2034. The political groups hope that the revision will take place earlier in order to avoid an open conflict.

Commission spokesman Balazs Ujvari confirmed that the European Parliament's reservations are currently being examined: “We are very open to hearing their position and their views so that we can agree on how to proceed.”

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