EU Leaders Clash Over Trillion-Euro Budget as Election Fears Mount

EU leaders locked horns on Thursday over the bloc’s next long-term budget as they kicked off talks in Brussels under pressure to seal a deal before several high-stakes elections next year, most crucially in France. The 27-nation European Union seeks an agreement by Christmas, concerned that future deal-making could be derailed by potential Eurosceptic victories across the bloc, including in France, where the far-right’s Marine Le Pen leads in opinion polls. “We are facing very, very difficult negotiations,” Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz told reporters upon arriving at the summit.

With leaders “still very far apart,” Merz suggested they “pack a few extra shirts” for the final summit meeting scheduled for December.

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