- Summary
- EU Commission proposes 2 trillion euro seven-year budget
- Focus on competitiveness and defence
- Proposal includes five new revenue streams
- Requires approval by member countries, EU Parliament
BRUSSELS, July 16 (Reuters) - The European Commission on Wednesday proposed a 2 trillion euro ($2.31 trillion) EU budget for 2028 to 2034, with a new emphasis on economic competitiveness and defence and plans to overhaul traditional spending on farming and regional development.
"It is a budget that matches Europe's ambition, that confronts Europe's challenges and that strengthens our independence," Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters in Brussels.
"The budget is larger. It is smarter and it is sharper. It delivers for our citizens and our business, our partners and our future."The Commission said its proposal amounted to 1.26% of the 27-nation European Union's Gross National Income - a measure of the size of the economy - compared to 1.13% for the current seven-year budget.
Most of the funding for the budget comes from the governments of the EU's member countries.
But the Commission proposed several ways to raise more funds directly, including a new tax on companies doing business in Europe that have an annual net turnover exceeding 100 million euros in an EU country.
The proposal marks the start of years of intense negotiations before a final budget is agreed by all member countries and signed off by the European Parliament.
The proposal includes a new 451 billion European Competitiveness Fund focused on boosting Europe's defence industry, fostering innovation and supporting the transition of industry across the bloc to clean technology.
The proposal allocates 131 billion euros specifically to defence and space - a fivefold increase over the current level, according to the Commission.
Those proposals reflect a desire to boost spending on new priorities after decades in which the vast bulk of the budget went on agriculture and regional development, known as cohesion policy, as it aims to reduce disparities between regions.
But farmers and regions would still receive substantial funding, according to the proposal.
It sets aside 302 billion euros to support farmers and a minimum of 218 billion euros for Europe’s least developed regions, as well as 200 billion euros for global programmes.
The Commission also pitched dedicating 100 billion euros for Ukraine outside of the budget's structure.
QUICK CRITICISM
Some EU countries and lawmakers were quick to criticise the proposal.
"The EU is important for our prosperity, but the proposed budget is too high," Dutch Finance Minister Eelco Heinen said.
Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban said "globalist bureaucrats" were plotting to "drain Europe’s money into Ukraine" while "our farmers are rising up to defend their future".
"The EU Commission’s budget proposal isn’t just unfair, it’s not even fit to be negotiated," he said on X.
The European Parliament said the Commission's proposal was not big enough.
"We cannot do more with less. New priorities need adequate new resources - not cuts to existing priorities," said Siegfried Muresan, a centre-right member of the European Parliament and a negotiator for the next EU budget.
Budget debates are among the most difficult in EU politics, bringing to the fore political and economic divisions among member countries.
The size of the budget, whether to link funding to political and economic reforms, how to fund EU expenditures and how to repay loans that financed the bloc's COVID pandemic recovery fund are all likely to be the focus of debate this time around.
Kata Tutto, president of the European Committee of the Regions, said on X that the proposals to simplify funding hid "a MONSTER ... to swallow cohesion policy and crack its backbone by nationalising and centralising".
Farmers held a protest in Brussels, with influential European farmers' lobby group COPA-COGECA calling the day European agriculture's "Black Wednesday".
($1 = 0.8645 euros)
Reporting by Andrew Gray, Lili Bayer, Geert De Clercq, Foo Yun Chee, Kate Abnett; Editing by Charlotte Van Campenhout, Catherine Evans and Diane Craft
欧盟撕裂！德国公开反对冯德莱恩
2025-07-18 文 陆弃
近日，欧盟委员会公布了2028年至2035年的七年期预算草案，金额高达惊人的2万亿欧元，比当前1.2万亿欧元预算大幅攀升。这本应是欧盟未来发展的“蓝图”，却因预算“高昂”、“混乱”、“不透明”而迅速引发内部分裂和激烈争议。德国为首的多国立即站出来予以否决，痛斥欧盟委员会在经济尚未复苏的关键时刻盲目膨胀预算，根本无法接受。眼下，这份预算草案能否过关，已成欧盟政治危机的焦点，而欧盟委员会主席冯德莱恩的领导方式，也被推到了风口浪尖。
这份历史性预算草案的提出，既暴露了欧盟内部的矛盾裂痕，也反映出欧盟面对全球地缘博弈和经济挑战时的焦虑和无力感。2万亿欧元的预算，看似彰显欧盟野心，从竞争力、繁荣、安全，到乌克兰支援，都涵盖其中。尤其是对乌克兰提供1000亿欧元资金的决定，充分体现了欧盟对东欧局势的重视与投入。然而，这份预算背后的利益争夺和权力博弈却让这场“豪赌”蒙上阴影。
首先，冯德莱恩作为欧盟委员会主席，推行的高度集权式管理风格遭到前所未有的质疑和反对。欧盟内部爆出的“橡皮图章”式会议，让人质疑决策透明度。正如一名资深欧盟外交官所言，“直到最后一刻，没有人知道预算具体花在哪，没人知道各国要出多少钱。”这样的闭门造车，注定难以获得成员国广泛支持。德国政府首席发言人的直言不讳，反映了欧洲最大经济体对预算草案的不满和抵制。没有德国的支持，这个预算案无疑难以推进。
这份预算草案引爆了欧盟内部长期积累的深层次矛盾，农业资金的大幅削减，引发传统农业强国和较贫穷成员国的激烈反弹。农业是欧盟最大的传统支出项之一，从3870亿欧元降至3000亿欧元，意味着许多农民和农业相关利益集团将面临巨额损失。与此同时，欧盟试图转向高科技、国际竞争和安全领域的投入，虽然符合全球趋势，却牵动各国不同利益，导致矛盾激化。
再看预算中的“新税”提案，针对电子垃圾、烟草制品和欧盟企业征税，预计每年为欧盟筹集250亿至300亿欧元，这无疑加剧了成员国对欧盟财政“独立性”与“合理性”的担忧。许多国家担心，新税收将转嫁到普通民众头上，成为欧盟高层增加权力和预算的借口。
此时正值全球经济疲软、通胀高企，欧盟内部民众和政府普遍承受沉重压力，扩张预算和增税的时机极其不合时宜。欧盟内部声音此消彼长，既有希望通过更强大的集体预算应对外部挑战的理想，也有深刻担忧预算激增将加剧财政负担和社会不满的现实。这种两极分化让欧盟如同一艘巨轮，在风暴中摇摆不定。
不得不提的是，冯德莱恩个人声誉因“短信门”事件和被指控与极右翼议员联手而大受打击。就在本月初，她在欧洲议会经历了不信任投票，虽幸免于难，却被警告这是“最后机会”。她如今推行的预算草案成了新的争议焦点，压力前所未有。匈牙利总理欧尔班直言“冯德莱恩该走了”，更是给她施加巨大政治压力。欧盟领导层的不稳定，正映射出欧洲政治的分裂和动荡。
这种内外夹击下的“预算大战”，不仅是财政问题，更是政治意志的较量。德国和荷兰等经济强国担心“买单”过重，而东欧及农业依赖国则担心利益被削弱，西欧多国则试图推动更多中央集权的预算安排。冯德莱恩夹在中间，难以左右逢源。
然而，这场预算纷争可能影响欧盟未来的政策走向。若预算无法达成一致，欧盟对乌克兰援助、科技创新、气候行动等关键领域的投入将受阻，欧洲整体竞争力和战略自主能力将遭遇严重挫折。对普通欧盟民众来说，高昂的预算背后或许意味着更高税负和更多经济压力。
欧盟这份“2万亿欧元”预算草案的公布，是一次赌注极大的政治博弈。它暴露出冯德莱恩领导下欧盟委员会的权力集中和决策不透明，也揭示了欧盟成员国间深刻的利益冲突和政治分裂。面对来自德国等大国的反对，冯德莱恩的“野心”能否变为现实，仍悬而未决。未来数月，欧盟预算谈判将是考验欧盟团结与前途的关键战役。
这不仅是财政数字的较量，更是一场关系欧洲命运的政治风暴。欧盟若不能解决内部矛盾，实现真正的团结与共识，所谓的“欧洲梦”或许会成为海市蜃楼。2万亿预算背后，是一场“谁来买单”“谁说了算”的权力争夺战，也是欧洲未来道路的拐点。
对于关注欧洲政治和全球格局的人来说，这场欧盟预算风暴无疑值得持续追踪。因为它不仅关系欧盟经济走向，更折射出这个超级大洲的未来走向：是整合共赢，还是分裂破碎，欧洲正站在十字路口。
这份历史性预算草案的提出，既暴露了欧盟内部的矛盾裂痕，也反映出欧盟面对全球地缘博弈和经济挑战时的焦虑和无力感。2万亿欧元的预算，看似彰显欧盟野心，从竞争力、繁荣、安全，到乌克兰支援，都涵盖其中。尤其是对乌克兰提供1000亿欧元资金的决定，充分体现了欧盟对东欧局势的重视与投入。然而，这份预算背后的利益争夺和权力博弈却让这场“豪赌”蒙上阴影。
首先，冯德莱恩作为欧盟委员会主席，推行的高度集权式管理风格遭到前所未有的质疑和反对。欧盟内部爆出的“橡皮图章”式会议，让人质疑决策透明度。正如一名资深欧盟外交官所言，“直到最后一刻，没有人知道预算具体花在哪，没人知道各国要出多少钱。”这样的闭门造车，注定难以获得成员国广泛支持。德国政府首席发言人的直言不讳，反映了欧洲最大经济体对预算草案的不满和抵制。没有德国的支持，这个预算案无疑难以推进。
这份预算草案引爆了欧盟内部长期积累的深层次矛盾，农业资金的大幅削减，引发传统农业强国和较贫穷成员国的激烈反弹。农业是欧盟最大的传统支出项之一，从3870亿欧元降至3000亿欧元，意味着许多农民和农业相关利益集团将面临巨额损失。与此同时，欧盟试图转向高科技、国际竞争和安全领域的投入，虽然符合全球趋势，却牵动各国不同利益，导致矛盾激化。
再看预算中的“新税”提案，针对电子垃圾、烟草制品和欧盟企业征税，预计每年为欧盟筹集250亿至300亿欧元，这无疑加剧了成员国对欧盟财政“独立性”与“合理性”的担忧。许多国家担心，新税收将转嫁到普通民众头上，成为欧盟高层增加权力和预算的借口。
此时正值全球经济疲软、通胀高企，欧盟内部民众和政府普遍承受沉重压力，扩张预算和增税的时机极其不合时宜。欧盟内部声音此消彼长，既有希望通过更强大的集体预算应对外部挑战的理想，也有深刻担忧预算激增将加剧财政负担和社会不满的现实。这种两极分化让欧盟如同一艘巨轮，在风暴中摇摆不定。
不得不提的是，冯德莱恩个人声誉因“短信门”事件和被指控与极右翼议员联手而大受打击。就在本月初，她在欧洲议会经历了不信任投票，虽幸免于难，却被警告这是“最后机会”。她如今推行的预算草案成了新的争议焦点，压力前所未有。匈牙利总理欧尔班直言“冯德莱恩该走了”，更是给她施加巨大政治压力。欧盟领导层的不稳定，正映射出欧洲政治的分裂和动荡。
这种内外夹击下的“预算大战”，不仅是财政问题，更是政治意志的较量。德国和荷兰等经济强国担心“买单”过重，而东欧及农业依赖国则担心利益被削弱，西欧多国则试图推动更多中央集权的预算安排。冯德莱恩夹在中间，难以左右逢源。
然而，这场预算纷争可能影响欧盟未来的政策走向。若预算无法达成一致，欧盟对乌克兰援助、科技创新、气候行动等关键领域的投入将受阻，欧洲整体竞争力和战略自主能力将遭遇严重挫折。对普通欧盟民众来说，高昂的预算背后或许意味着更高税负和更多经济压力。
欧盟这份“2万亿欧元”预算草案的公布，是一次赌注极大的政治博弈。它暴露出冯德莱恩领导下欧盟委员会的权力集中和决策不透明，也揭示了欧盟成员国间深刻的利益冲突和政治分裂。面对来自德国等大国的反对，冯德莱恩的“野心”能否变为现实，仍悬而未决。未来数月，欧盟预算谈判将是考验欧盟团结与前途的关键战役。
这不仅是财政数字的较量，更是一场关系欧洲命运的政治风暴。欧盟若不能解决内部矛盾，实现真正的团结与共识，所谓的“欧洲梦”或许会成为海市蜃楼。2万亿预算背后，是一场“谁来买单”“谁说了算”的权力争夺战，也是欧洲未来道路的拐点。
对于关注欧洲政治和全球格局的人来说，这场欧盟预算风暴无疑值得持续追踪。因为它不仅关系欧盟经济走向，更折射出这个超级大洲的未来走向：是整合共赢，还是分裂破碎，欧洲正站在十字路口。
