Reactions to the European Commission's new EU budget proposal
An agreement on the new EU budget requires backing from all 27 member countries and sign-off from the European Parliament.
"We can never accept that common EU funds go to countries that don't respect basic democratic principles and European values"
"We won't solve the EU's problems with a bigger budget and increased EU contributions, rather through using current resources in a smarter way and putting money where it is really needed."
"The proposed budget is too high. We should not always focus solely on how the EU can spend more, but rather on how existing funds can be spent better"
"This requires tough choices. The financial contribution of the Netherlands to the EU is already significant. We therefore want to see an improvement in our net payment position ... As far as the Netherlands is concerned, new instruments for joint debt are therefore not on the table."
"I welcome the ambition for the new multiannual financial framework presented today by the European Commission"
"I will be ... in Brussels on Friday to defend our priorities: the rearmament of the European continent, supporting our competitiveness and technological sovereignty, the income of our farmers, and the creation of our own resources."
"I welcome the presentation of the proposal on the EU long-term budget by the European Commission, a step which will allow the Council to start working. A budget is not just about numbers— it is the ultimate political decision, a choice about our future, and we need to approach this debate with an open mind and spirit of collective responsibility."
LEAD MEMBERS OF EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: SIEGFRIED MURESAN, CARLA TAVARES, SANDRA GOMEZ LOPEZ AND DANUSE NERUDOVA
"This draft budget does not leave sufficient funds for critical priorities including competitiveness, cohesion, agriculture, defence, climate adaptation and the investment necessary for a sustainable economy that works for all."
"Parliament stands ready to use all its powers to their full extent to ensure that the next long-term budget matches the Union's ambitions and challenges."
"The inclusion of a 35% climate mainstreaming in the new budget shows the Commission is still serious about supporting decarbonisation efforts across the continent... This is essential to make the 90% climate target by 2040 achievable. It is however a wasted opportunity not to strictly exclude fossil fuel funding from the budget."
"The restructuring of the budget puts at risk the EU's central role in fighting poverty, responding to global crises, and supporting those living in the Global South. The Commission is proposing to merge existing external action instruments into one called Global Europe. This move increases the risk that funding is diverted to serve short-term political gains, rather than used to tackle poverty and inequalities."
"Madame President, your budget and CAP proposal are nothing more or less than a provocation towards the agricultural world. Rethink your approach! There will be no rise in Europe's power without food rearmament!"
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
26 minutes ago
- The Sun
Full list of UK airline hand luggage rules explained
RYANAIR boss Michael O'Leary said this week he was considering bigger bonuses for staff who identify passengers with oversized bags. And earlier this month, a leaked email showed that staff across major airports in the UK would also receive payments for every bag confiscated from easyJet passengers ahead of boarding. So, how much can you really get away with? Sophie Swiethowski shares everything you need to know about hand-luggage restrictions for Brits' favourite airlines. EASYJET Every passenger is entitled to one free, small carry-on bag that must fit under the seat in front of them. The bag cannot exceed 45 x 36 x 20cm, including handles and wheels, and it must weigh no more than 15kg. EasyJet Plus members and those who have booked an Inclusive Plus fare (which also includes a 23kg checked bag) will be able to take a larger hand luggage bag with them, measuring up to 56 x 45 x 25cm. Anyone else wanting to take a larger carry-on will have to pay £5.99 (or more) in advance of flying. RYANAIR Ryanair has one of the smallest hand luggage allowances on this list. Like easyJet, every passenger is allowed one small, under-the-seat bag for free, measuring no greater than 40 x 20 x 25cm, although there is no specific weight limit. Larger carry-ons, to be stored in overhead lockers, cost from £6 and must not exceed 10kg. The maximum dimensions are 55 x 40 x 20cm. BRITISH AIRWAYS The UK's flag carrier has the most generous allowance of all the airlines listed here. All passengers are entitled to bring a free 'hand bag' to go under the seat. This can measure up to 40 x 30 x 15cm and has a large weight limit of 23kg, the same as checked baggage. Larger carry-ons are also included in the price of your ticket. Overhead bags can measure up to 56 x 45 x 25cm, including wheels and handles, with a weight limit of 23kg. JET2 When it comes to carry-on allowances, Jet2 is undoubtedly the winner of the low-cost airlines. Much like British Airways, customers can bring both a small and large bag on board for free. An under-the-seat bag must not exceed the limit of 40cm x 30cm x 15cm, although there are no weight restrictions. Larger bags can measure up to 56cm x 45cm x 25cm and must weigh no more than 10kg. WIZZ AIR On a par with Ryanair, the maximum dimensions for a free and smaller carry-on bag are 40 x 30 x 20cm and this bag can weigh up to 10kg. Passengers with a larger bag will have to purchase a Wizz Priority ticket if they do not want to incur a charge at the gate. The priority ticket costs from €5 (£4.33) and also includes priority boarding. These overhead-locker bags cannot exceed the weight limit of 10kg and must comply with the maximum dimensions of 55 x 40 x 23cm. 1
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Range Rover to remove convenient feature for next-gen model as designer bizarrely calls it ‘dirty'
THE ELECTRIC Range Rover will not feature a front trunk, according to the designer of the hotly anticipated SUV. The vehicle is yet to officially debut, with only teasers of its design revealed so far - although fans will be pleased to know the EV version closely mirrors that of the combustion-engine model. 4 4 But one convenient feature found in many electric vehicles won't be included - in a decision partly based on customer feedback. The car's designer, Lynfel Owen, recently referred to the front of the car as the "dirtiest part" and questioned why anyone would want to lean against it to use a front trunk. In an interview with CarExpert, Owen said: 'Why would I want to lean against the dirtiest part of the car to put stuff in?' He explained his reasoning in greater detail: 'We spoke to our customers… none of them have an issue [with] lack of storage space. 'The rear cargo space is exactly the same. We haven't had to raise the floor. The only compromise we have to make is we're not able to offer a seven-seat derivative.' Owen has spent the last decade overseeing JLR's transition to electric power, having risen to chief engineer of vehicle engineering for the Range Rover, Range Rover Sport and Defender models. 'I pretty much only ever worked on Range Rover,' he said. 'I've done a few other projects. I didn't work on the [Jaguar] I-Pace. I was working on the previous-generation Range Rover.' To that end, the I-Pace - launched under the Jaguar brand as the first premium all-electric SUV from any manufacturer when it was revealed in 2016 - became infamous for reliability issues, particularly with its electric drivetrain and battery pack. Its poor customer satisfaction prompted Jaguar Land Rover to learn from its failures, focusing on reliability, improved thermal management and customer-centric design in the development of the Range Rover Electric. Owen said: 'We're making sure we learn from, you know, our mistakes with respect to I-Pace. 'So we're testing all aspects of the car… we've just had a northern hemisphere winter that we've completed, so we've been doing our low-mu testing on the frozen lakes.' He added: 'Some people have got [chargers] bolted on. Their garage might have two or three cars… [so you don't have to use a] 15 metre cable. 'Cabin comfort. Battery temperature. Whether it's to cool it down, whether it's to warm it up. Recovering heat from the air at minus 15… It also reduces the heating energy consumption by over 40 per cent [compared to I-Pace].' This includes the decision to forgo a front trunk, with the rear cargo volume remaining unchanged from the combustion-engine version and the 117-kWh battery pack accommodated without raising the floor. This approach contrasts with the I-Pace, which offered a small front storage compartment. Indeed, due to packaging constraints, the electric Range Rover will only be available with two rows of seats - which rules out a seven-seat option. While a spare wheel will be offered, it will reduce luggage capacity as it will sit above the cargo floor. Much like the upcoming Range Rover, Mercedes' electric G-Class also lacks a front trunk - although they compensated with a uniquely styled tailgate-mounted cargo box. The electric Range Rover will not compete with the G580, Owen claims, as it offers unmatched off-road capabilities, combined with Range Rover's famed luxury. The electric Range Rover's world premiere is expected later this year, with deliveries expected to begin in 2026.
Sky News
2 hours ago
- Sky News
Eighty years on from Labour's landslide, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza brings Clement Attlee's failure on Israel and Palestine to mind
Here's one for the aficionados: 26 July 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of Labour's landslide victory in the 1945 general election. Trade unionists and Labour MPs are celebrating, claiming the nation still owes a debt of gratitude for the historic achievements of Clement Attlee's government. Yet today, as the world watches the humanitarian crisis in Gaza with horror, it's worth recalling that one of Attlee's biggest failures was his Israel - Palestine policy. (Oh, and while Attlee's health minister Aneurin Bevan boasted he "stuffed their mouths with gold" to overcome doctors' opposition to the NHS, today doctors are on strike over pay again.) The 1945 election took place on 5 July, the same date Sir Keir Starmer entered 10 Downing Street last year. But with British armed forces still serving overseas in 1945, it took until 26 July to declare the result. 9:30 Labour won 393 seats in 1945, compared with 411 last year. But while Sir Keir's Labour only won 34% of the votes, Mr Attlee won nearly 50%. But then, there was no insurgent Reform UK back then. Celebrating the 80th anniversary, Joanne Thomas, who became general secretary of the shopworkers' union Usdaw in April this year, said the Attlee government left a lasting legacy. "Usdaw's predecessor unions were proud to play a role in the 1945 election victory and to see 18 of our members elected," she said. "Not least a hero of our union 'Red Ellen', a fiery trade union organiser who led the Jarrow hunger march and went on to serve as education minister." Wilkinson was indeed red. Attlee biographer Trevor Burridge wrote: "Ellen Wilkinson was made minister of education despite the fact that she had actively campaigned against his leadership." She was MP for Jarrow, not a million miles from the current education secretary and Starmer super-loyalist Bridget Phillipson's Houghton and Sunderland South constituency. But not even her best friends would call her red! Ellen Wilkinson was also the only woman in Attlee's 1945 cabinet. Last year, Sir Keir made history by appointing 11 women to his cabinet. Labour MP Marie Tidball, elected last year, joined the tributes to Attlee. "He transformed Britain for working people and this legacy laid the foundations for Britain today - our NHS, welfare state and homes for heroes. "Those public services meant I could grow up to fulfil my potential. Labour legend." But if Attlee's NHS, welfare state and nationalisation are viewed as successes by Labour trade unionists and MPs, his government's policy on Palestine is widely agreed to have been a failure. In his acclaimed biography of Attlee's foreign secretary, "Ernest Bevin: Labour's Churchill", former Blairite cabinet minister Andrew Adonis wrote: "Why did Bevin get Israel/Palestine so wrong?" Adonis says Bevin's policy on Palestine "led to the precise opposite of its declared intention of stability and the peaceful co-existence of the Jewish and Palestinian communities within one state at peace with its neighbours". He concluded: "Instead, Bevin's legacy was a Jewish state of Israel, much larger than even most of its advocates previously favoured, in periodic war and perpetual tension with both its Palestinians and its Arab neighbours." Where did Bevin go wrong? Adonis wrote: "In the first place, because, during the three key years 1945-48, he did not agree that his central policy objective was 'good relations with the United States'." As Sir Keir Starmer prepares to meet Donald Trump in Scotland, 80 years after the historic Attlee victory, that's clearly not a mistake the current Labour PM has made in his relations with the US president. " I like your prime minister," the president said as he arrived in Scotland, "he's slightly more liberal than I am, but I like him". So, 80 years on from Attlee, lessons have been learned. So far, so good, that is.
