After failed negotiations on Thursday night EU heads of government have resumed their talks today in order to bag a deal on the EU budget, which will cover roughly €1,000bn in spending from 2014 to 2020. EU President Hermann van Rompoy tried in vain to "break the deadlock over the EU long-term budget by restoring €19bn in funding for agriculture and poor regions in a calculated appeal to France and Italy". The 'connecting Europe facility', a fund to build cross-border infrastructure projects, such as pipelines and broadband internet received the biggest cut. However, diplomats speculate that the "administrative heading that covers salaries and benefits for the EU’s 55,000 civil servants survived" only the first round - cuts are expected should Friday's negotiations bring no results.
Date: 5th October 2016
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Type: In the news