Costa tours the capitals - while Merz rallies the penny-pinchers
António Costa is touring EU capitals to negotiate the bloc's next seven-year budget, while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz prepares to push for significant spending cuts. Meanwhile, internal tensions are rising within the European Parliament's socialist group over migration policy, and Greece is leveraging film tourism to boost its economy.
Why it matters
The outcome of these budget negotiations will dictate EU fiscal priorities for the next seven years, impacting everything from agricultural funding to regional cohesion.
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Apple Music Amazon Music António Costa is kicking off a tour of EU capitals to find out what leaders want from the bloc’s next seven-year budget — and what they might accept in return for a deal. His first stop is Bratislava, with Slovakia among the countries pushing to protect cohesion and agricultural funding. Later this week, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will gather like-minded northern countries in Berlin to argue for a much leaner budget and major cuts to the Commission’s nearly €2 trillion proposal. Zoya Sheftalovich and Ian Wishart look at the competing campaigns as negotiations head into a crucial period.
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