Opening remarks by Commissioner Serafin at the General Affairs Council in Luxembourg

I want to start by thanking Thomas and his team for their hard work in preparing a revised nego-box.

I have heard a lot of criticism about the Irish presidency in the last few days. But I want to be clear: in my view this criticism is unfounded, unjustified.  

The Presidency has listened to all of you. And it honestly reflected the current state of play in the Council negotiations.

But that does not mean that the Commission accepts the negotiating box. You will not be surprised to hear that the Commission is very unhappy with the outcome.

Unhappy because the volume proposed for our next long-term budget does not match the needs that the European Union has.

The needs that you have set for Europe. That we have set for Europe.

That also might sound counterintuitive, but this box is also bad news for European taxpayers. Because the investments in competitiveness, connectivity, and security still need to be carried out. But now it is more likely that they will be fragmented and uncoordinated. This means higher bills for taxpayers overall.

We see right now Putin escalating his aggression against Ukraine, tensions in transatlantic relations and trade disputes intensifying, we know that we will need to have more common projects, not less. And if more common projects are needed we also need to have resources to fund them.  

Given these turbulent times, we also know that there will continue to be many unknowns. That is why we created space to cater for unforeseen developments. Yet, unfortunately, many of the cushions, reserves, and margins have been cut. So we will again have to navigate future storms with our hands tied behind our backs. This is a political choice. But not a good one.

A lot has been said about the volume of the EU budget, and why it needs to be cut. If you read some statements, you might think that the Commission has proposed a huge budget increase. So let me put things in perspective.