EU deal on budget review stuck because of Germany’s internal fiscal problems

EU deal on budget review stuck because of Germany's internal fiscal problems
Flags flutter outside EU Commission in Brussels

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The biggest obstacle to a deal on a mid-term revision of the European Union’s 7-year budget is the internal discussion in Germany on the country’s own budget, thrown into turmoil by a constitutional court ruling, the EU Budget Commissioner said.

Johannes Hahn told a news briefing that Hungary, which has called for a strategic discussion on the EU’s policy towards Ukraine, including 50 billion euros ($54.66 billion) in EU budget support over the next four years, was likely less of an issue to reach a deal.

“Now the biggest problem is that Germany is so distracted by their domestic issues that they don’t find time to deal with this (EU budget revision),” Hahn said.

($1 = 0.9147 euros)

(Reporting by Jan Strupczewski, editing by Tassilo Hummel)

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