Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković reflected on the difficulty of EU budget negotiations, recalling the intense July 2020 talks that followed Croatia’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Plenković said those negotiations lasted five days, covering the EU’s long-term budget and the NextGenerationEU recovery instrument. At the time, Croatia had around €24–25 billion available.
He stressed that EU budget negotiations require skill, experience and strong arguments from every Member State.
For Plenković, the key challenge is finding the right balance between the EU’s biggest contributors and the countries that benefit most from the budget.
He said Croatia has concerns about rebates and about the competitiveness pillar, where larger countries with stronger economies may absorb much of the common funding.
Plenković underlined that Croatia’s economy has grown strongly, with GDP doubling since 2016 from €47 billion to €96 billion, meaning Croatia’s contribution to the EU budget is also increasing.
But he made clear that Croatia will still try to protect what it needs from cohesion policy and agricultural policy, while also helping Croatian companies compete for horizontal EU funds.
He said a financially sustainable agreement will require both higher national contributions and a compromise on the long-debated issue of new own resources for the EU.
His message was clear: Croatia wants a fair EU budget deal — one that supports development, protects cohesion and agriculture, strengthens competitiveness and finds a compromise all Member States can live with.
#eudebates #Plenkovic #Croatia #EUBudget #CohesionPolicy
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković reflected on the difficulty of EU budget negotiations, recalling the intense July 2020 talks that followed Croatia’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Plenković said those negotiations lasted five days, covering the EU’s long-term budget and the NextGenerationEU recovery instrument. At the time, Croatia had around €24–25 billion available.
He stressed that EU budget negotiations require skill, experience and strong arguments from every Member State.
For Plenković, the key challenge is finding the right balance between the EU’s biggest contributors and the countries that benefit most from the budget.
He said Croatia has concerns about rebates and about the competitiveness pillar, where larger countries with stronger economies may absorb much of the common funding.
Plenković underlined that Croatia’s economy has grown strongly, with GDP doubling since 2016 from €47 billion to €96 billion, meaning Croatia’s contribution to the EU budget is also increasing.
But he made clear that Croatia will still try to protect what it needs from cohesion policy and agricultural policy, while also helping Croatian companies compete for horizontal EU funds.
He said a financially sustainable agreement will require both higher national contributions and a compromise on the long-debated issue of new own resources for the EU.
His message was clear: Croatia wants a fair EU budget deal — one that supports development, protects cohesion and agriculture, strengthens competitiveness and finds a compromise all Member States can live with.
#eudebates #Plenkovic #Croatia #EUBudget #CohesionPolicy
