Italy and Romania Lead Cohesion Group on EU Budget

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Romanian President Nicusor Dan co-presided over a working breakfast in Rome on Thursday for the 17 member nations of the Friends of Cohesion group. The meeting served to coordinate a unified position on the 2028-2034 European Union multi-annual budget ahead of an upcoming European summit in Brussels.

The group established four primary priorities for the negotiations: securing sufficient resources for common goals, safeguarding funding and implementation rules for cohesion policies and the Common Agricultural Policy, ensuring fair contributions from member states, and opposing new budget cuts and rebates.

While the Friends of Cohesion sought to protect funding levels, a separate meeting was held by the frugal group of countries, which includes Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Austria, Sweden, Finland, and Belgium. These two blocs represent opposing fiscal perspectives as the European Union prepares for its next budget cycle.