Germany’s Merz says European leaders remain far apart on next EU budget

Arriving for a summit in Brussels, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Thursday that European leaders remain widely divided on the European Union's next long-term budget.

"We are facing difficult negotiations," Merz told reporters at the summit venue, adding that leaders would hold intensive and constructive talks but that an agreement was unlikely to be reached in the coming days.

"I wish that we can reach a result on the multiannual financial framework by the end of the year, although the ideas within the European Union are very far apart today," he said.

"We face difficult negotiations, but I enter these negotiations with the firm will to bring them to a good result. Because Europe must remain capable of acting and become sovereign," he added.

Merz criticized Ireland's latest compromise proposal for the EU budget, saying that the planned reductions fall far short of what is needed for a deal.

"We must significantly reduce the common budget compared with the (European) Commission's proposals. No member state in the European Union can afford to pay contributions to the European Union on this scale," he said.

He noted that the current proposal lies 50% above the funding level of the ongoing multiannual financial framework.