Von der Leyen REFUSES to answer questions after demanding extra €66 billion from EU countries
Ursula von der Leyen has refused to answer questions from the media after demanding an extra €66 billion from EU countries
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Ursula von der Leyen refused to answer questions from EU member states after demanding extra funding from them yesterday.
The European Commission has asked for member states to contribute an additional €66 billion to the EU's budget in order to tackle the growing issues facing the bloc.
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The Commission is hoping to get an agreement on the revised budget by the start of December - the last date available to secure a deal on the annual 2024 budget.
But after asking for more money yesterday at the European Council summit, the EU chief left the stage without accepting any questions.
She said the bloc was "meeting today in times of upheaval".
Referring to the war in Ukraine and the growing number of migrants coming to the EU, she added: "The EU needs to react and act united and resolute.”
"All of this needs funding — and this is why I have proposed a revision of the EU budget, to be able to fund these very important tasks".
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed opposition to the increase in funding, saying new financial needs should be addressed by reallocating funds from less pressing areas in order to avoid member states paying more.
He said: "Even though time has already advanced, we are still at the very beginning [of the budget discussions]. The positions that have been formulated there are not yet all congruent."
The prominent EU figure added: "I am convinced that the possibilities offered by reprioritizing spending programs from the European budget have not yet been exhausted."
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte agreed, saying the money should be found through "reprioritizing".
He said that even frugal countries like the Netherlands “understand that new money is needed” in the budget to keep up financial support for Ukraine.
But he added: "In terms of all these other requests for fresh money, our position — and of many colleagues — is to reprioritize.
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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed opposition to the increase in funding
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"And if you then find money, the priority should be to spend it on migration."
Rutte warned that "more countries than in 2020", which was the last time the EU discussed its budget, were in favour of a more a frugal position.
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