In brief
On 10 November, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged the European Union to embed Ukraine assistance into its upcoming long‑term budget. Speaking with Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar, Merz stressed that EU support must remain shared responsibility and should not be left to individual member states. The call is complicated by differing views among at least four member states and the difficulty of reaching agreement across all 27 EU members, according to Hungarian officials and German leadership. No clear timeline or plan has yet emerged for how this integration will be achieved.
At a joint press conference on 10 November in Berlin, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that the European Union must fully integrate its policy toward Ukraine into the bloc’s next long‑term budget. He argued that future financial support for Ukraine should be negotiated as part of the EU budget process, rather than being left to individual member states.
Merz said the EU was entering a critical stage of budget negotiations and that reducing or bypassing aid to Ukraine would undermine collective European security. He added that a shared understanding among EU members on how to support Ukraine was a key condition for reaching a budget agreement. The Chancellor acknowledged that at least four member states held differing views on the issue.
In the same address, Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar echoed Merz’s demand for careful budget talks. He warned that reaching an agreement among 27 EU members would not be easy because each country has its own national interests. Magyar stated that Hungary believed funding for traditional areas—such as agricultural and cohesion policies—should not be reduced, and that changes were also needed to member states’ contributions to the budget.
Magyar added that Hungary would remain a constructive partner in the negotiations but would not compromise on its national interests. Both leaders noted that the current budget proposal still required changes before it could be adopted.
While Merz insisted that Ukraine support must be a shared responsibility, he did not specify a particular allocation or timeframe for how the policy would be incorporated. Magyar likewise did not outline a specific blueprint for balancing Ukraine aid with other EU priorities.
The debate reflects broader tensions within the EU over how to coordinate support for Ukraine while managing member‑state fiscal preferences. Both officials highlighted that consensus is needed, but they did not provide a concrete mechanism for achieving it, and the EU has yet to decide whether Ukraine’s assistance will be funded through an existing budget line or a separate emergency repair package.
Discussions of the next EU long‑term budget, which will extend until 2034, remain in early stages, and no binding proposals have yet been made public. Both the German Chancellor and the Hungarian Prime Minister acknowledged that agreeing on a comprehensive plan will require negotiating among dozens of national perspectives. The uncertainty about how to balance Ukraine aid with other EU priorities, the number of contributing member states, and the timeline for adoption remain unresolved, and the EU’s eventual decision will shape the future of financial support for Ukraine and the block’s internal cohesion.
