A large majority in the European Parliament wants to increase the EU’s long-term budget by more than 10 per cent compared with the proposal from the European Commission.

The majority wishes to increase the long-term budget from 2028 to 2034 to just over €2,000 billion, €200 billion more than the European Commission’s proposal of €1,800 billion.

This means that elected Members of the European Parliament surpass even Ursula von der Leyen and her team. Von der Leyen is the President of the European Commission, who is not directly elected.

Her colleagues in the Commission are also not elected by the people of the EU. The Commissioners (one from each Member State) are nominated by their respective national governments in consultation with the Commission President.

The additional €200 billion is to be used for farmers, regions, and the competitiveness of industry. An overwhelming majority of Members of the European Parliament adopted the proposal, with 370 votes in favour, 201 against, and 84 abstentions.

Several EU countries are now digging in their heels. Countries such as Germany, Sweden, and Denmark want a more frugal budget, and many EU countries are struggling with large deficits and rising debt, writes Politico.

Both the Netherlands and Germany have already indicated that they want a lower budget than that proposed by the Commission.

– I am concerned about the line the Parliament has taken, says the Danish parliamentarian Christel Schaldemose, who is Vice-President of the European Parliament.

– We believe that we cannot achieve more with fewer resources; that is a myth, said Siegfried Mureșan of the European People’s Party (EPP) to Politico.

The EPP is the Parliament’s chief negotiator in the budget negotiations together with Carla Tavares from the Socialists & Democrats.