At the 'General Affairs' Council in Luxembourg on Tuesday 16 October, the Austrian Presidency of the Council of the EU said that the member states had made good progress in the negotiations on the 2021-2027 multiannual financial framework (MFF).
In Brussels on Thursday 18 October, the Austrian Chancellor, Sebastian Kurz “will take stock of the situation” before the members of the European Council on this highly complex dossier, a Presidency spokesperson said.
The Austrian Presidency presented the ministers with its progress report, which takes stock of discussions on cross-cutting issues (a balance between traditional policies and new political priorities) and on certain budgetary headings (see EUROPE 12115).
None of the delegations took the floor during Tuesday's formal debate.
The Commissioner for the Budget, Günther Oettinger, welcomed the “genuine determination for a compromise” expressed by the delegations. He considers that the positions of the Twenty-Seven are no longer so far away from each other. This, he said, suggests the possibility of an agreement “possibly even before the European elections of May 2019”.
Technical work on the 'negotiating box' (a living document to assist with the drafting of a compromise text on the MFF) will continue ahead of the next 'General Affairs' Council in mid-November, when the European Parliament is to adopt its position on the forthcoming MFF. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)