EU budget showdown slips to November as Costa pushes for quick deal
A showdown among EU leaders over the bloc's budget has slipped to November. European Council President António Costa wants talks wrapped up by year-end, and French President Emmanuel Macron has backed his plan.
The decisive confrontation over the European Union's budget has been pushed back to November, as European Council President António Costa urges member states to strike a deal quickly. The European Council is the body of EU national leaders, which Costa chairs. He wants the negotiations finished by the end of the year.
Macron's backing
French President Emmanuel Macron gave Costa's plan a considerable boost. At the summit, he warned EU leaders that the budget must be agreed by the end of the year. According to Macron, from January there will be no political room left to conclude an agreement.
Resistance from capitals
A few days earlier, the picture looked different. Italy and France were resisting Costa's push to secure a deal this year, and EU capitals weakened the end-of-year deadline for a budget agreement. Macron's remarks at the summit were a significant lift for Costa's plan.
What comes next
Politico Europe reporting indicates that the final stage of the talks has now slipped to November. The end of the year remains the target cited by the council president, and Macron says that concluding a deal after that point will be hard. The source material does not describe the content of the deal, any sums, or the specific points in dispute, so it is unclear on what terms member states might agree.
