The European Parliament has voted to increase the EU’s next long-term budget by about 10% and to introduce new revenue streams to help finance it. MEPs in Strasbourg backed expanding the roughly €2 trillion plan for 2028–2034, with the motion passing by 370 votes in favor, 201 against and 84 abstentions. Supporters are seeking almost €100 billion more than the European Commission’s original proposal and want repayments linked to the EU COVID-19 recovery fund excluded from the budget total.
Parliamentarians proposed several new own‑resource measures to raise revenue: a digital levy on large corporations, levies on online gambling, an expanded carbon border adjustment mechanism and taxes on gains from cryptocurrencies. The extra funds are intended to boost spending on agriculture, support poorer regions and finance priorities such as defense, climate action, digitalization and EU programs like Erasmus.
Romanian MEP and lead negotiator Siegfried Muresan urged a stronger budget, saying, “The position of the European Parliament is clear. We believe we cannot do more with less.” His stance reflects a push from many lawmakers who argue that increased funding is needed to meet mounting challenges.
Several member states, led by Germany and other so‑called frugal countries, oppose the scale of the increase. An EU diplomat quoted by DPA said calls for a bigger EU budget lack credibility while national debt and budgets are under pressure, urging instead that resources be redirected to improve competitiveness and close gaps with the US and China in areas such as artificial intelligence.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz rejected taking on new EU debt and said the bloc must set priorities even if that requires cuts elsewhere. Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten called for the Commission’s proposal to be “significantly reduced,” warning that a sharp rise in Dutch contributions would be unacceptable. The European Commission’s two‑trillion‑euro framework remains the starting point for negotiations, but member states and the Parliament must now negotiate details ahead of the final agreement.