Six countries that contribute more to the European Union budget than they receive from it are calling for a reduction of hundreds of billions of euros in the proposed long-term budget. They presented their joint position on Thursday following a meeting of leaders in Berlin.

Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Austria, Finland and Sweden are demanding that the European Commission's proposal, which totals nearly €2tn ($2.33tn) for the years 2028 through 2034, include balanced cuts across all areas of spending.

At the same time, the countries are pushing for more funding for common priorities, including defense, competitiveness, migration and sovereignty. They reject new joint EU debt, arguing it is not a solution to budgetary problems.

In June, Germany had already called for a reduction of approximately €400bn ($467bn) in the proposed amount, arguing that the current plans are financially unsustainable.

The six countries are also calling for strict conditionality on EU funds based on adherence to the rule of law and are demanding that EU institutions manage their agenda with current staff levels.

Approval of the long-term budget requires the consent of all 27 member states.

(Reuters, bak)