Beyond the raw totals, the Commission’s plans also indicate whom Brussels trusts to handle sensitive tasks. Germany, Greece and Spain top the allocations for migration, security and border management, with €4.1 billion, €3.5 billion and €3 billion respectively. Poland, with €1.9 billion, is the top recipient in Eastern Europe.
Concerns are mounting, meanwhile, over the plan to integrate agricultural funds into broader national programs.
The proposed budget sees agriculture spending shrink nominally by over 20 percent, from €386.6 billion in the current budget to €300 billion in the next, prompting farmers’ groups across Europe to denounce the new structure as a “betrayal.”
Although Serafin insisted direct payments to farmers would remain stable, many fear inflation will effectively gut the value of this support.
The budget proposal “is a good starting point for an exchange of views,” Poland’s Szłapka said Friday, softening previous criticism toward the Commission’s plans to reform the budget.
“Cohesion and agriculture need to remain strong and need to be adequately funded,” he added during a meeting of Europe ministers in Brussels.
Graphics by Lucia Mackenzie. This story has been updated.
