EU member states wrangle over all-important budget: Is a deal this year feasible?

To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement.

One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site.

A marathon EU summit on October 15-16 failed to produce a breakthrough on the European Union's next long-term budget. Although EU leaders put on a brave face at the end of the talks by saying that "the way forward is clearer", EU capitals appear deadlocked on what that path is. At stake is the EU's ability to finance its strategic priorities from 2028 to 2034. The main dividing line is between the so-called "frugal countries", who want deep cuts to the proposed budget, and the "friends of cohesion", who say that cuts are not the answer.

The clock is ticking, not least because next year will see 10 parliamentary or presidential elections in EU member states, which could well change the political balance across the bloc, while the European Parliament will have its say as well.

Programme prepared by Isabelle Romero, Perrine Desplats and Oihana Almandoz