The European Union is unlikely to adopt its seven-year budget this year, according to all indications. This multiannual financial framework determines the amount of funds the EU has at its disposal and how they are to be spent.
The subject of intense negotiations among member states is the total amount European budgetary contributors should contribute to the EU treasury for the period from the beginning of 2028 to the end of 2034, and what the money should be spent on. An agreement on these two points is crucial for the functioning of the Union in the next seven-year period.
The negotiations are, so far, the most difficult perhaps in the history of the EU. This assessment of the negotiation process points to deep divisions among member states regarding the scope of the common budget and the priorities of its expenditure.
The world, including the EU itself, is in its most difficult situation since the end of the Second World War. There has been no such situation since 1945, when the Second World War ended with the unconditional surrender of Japan. In these circumstances, reaching an agreement on the seven-year budget is further complicated.
For all the above, the adoption of the budget this year is unlikely to be achieved. The negotiations are therefore continuing in conditions that, according to available assessments, are unprecedented in recent history.
