Czechia welcomes new EU budget proposal, with certain reservations

The Czech Republic welcomes the Irish presidency’s proposal for the next seven-year EU budget, which avoids significant cuts to traditional EU policies, including cohesion, Czech State Secretary for European Affairs Milena Hrdinková said after a meeting in Luxembourg on Tuesday.

However, Prague remains critical of the proposed new EU revenue sources, saying they would be too costly for the country and that the proposed adjustments do not sufficiently reduce their impact.

The Irish presidency has proposed a budget of €1.622 trillion, around eight percent below the European Commission’s original proposal of €1.763 trillion.

The largest cut, 17 percent, would affect Global Europe, which funds the EU’s external action. The proposal also envisages cuts of 13 percent to competitiveness, prosperity and security, 8.8 percent to administration, and three percent to cohesion, agriculture and fisheries.