Germany, Manfred Weber's home country, puts more into the EU budget than it gets back and wants cuts
As the fight over the EU’s next long-term budget heats up, political leaders are clashing over the size and priorities of the European Commission’s proposed €1.76 trillion 2028-2034 spending plan.
There are traditionally two camps when it comes to the budget: countries that are overall beneficiaries of EU spending pushing for a larger common budget and the so-called “frugal” demanding restraint.
“We have to stop … and overcome the net payer thinking in Europe,” Manfred Weber, the German EPP group leader, said on Tuesday.
Countries calling for a smaller budget are often those that pay more into the pot than they receive back in EU funds – the so-called net contributors, including the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Finland, Sweden and Denmark.
