Brussels Edition

Budget Battle Looms as EU Ponders €1.8 Trillion Spending Plan

The EU is gearing up for a debate over its next long-term budget
Flags of the European Union in front of the Berlaymont Building, which houses the European Commission’s headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.Photographer: Simon Wohlfahrt/Bloomberg

Welcome to the Brussels Edition. I’m Suzanne Lynch, Bloomberg’s Brussels bureau chief, bringing you the latest from the EU each weekday. Make sure you’re signed up.

While the ongoing war in the Middle East overshadowed last week’s summit in Cyprus, European Union leaders also held their first substantive discussion on another contentious issue – the bloc’s next seven-year budget.

The €1.8 trillion package proposed by the European Commission last year is an eye-watering sum, which threatens to open up age-old debates about the bloc’s spending priorities and who pays.