00:00Let's talk about the budget and let's be blunt. Is the EU trying to build a budget that it simply
00:06cannot afford?
00:07The EU is building a budget which we need for the 21st century. But obviously the commission proposal was far
00:16too high.
00:17And so Germany expects that this budget is being cut by at least several hundreds of billions of euros.
00:25Now, the Irish presidency put a new proposal on the table, a nego box, which was already cut by 140
00:34billion.
00:34So I would say we are not there yet. But we are now on a way to kind of try
00:42to find an agreement.
00:44But more cuts will be definitely necessary.
00:48The EU summit last week didn't get us any closer to a final budget.
00:53The positions are still very much entrenched. What's happening next?
00:58I think no one really expected that the summit last week would already conclude.
01:02That was pretty much awaited that the leaders will present again their positions.
01:09Now, we expect that the president of the European Council now presents a new nego box.
01:16And we think it's definitely necessary to have this new nego box with new content in November because there's an
01:25informal European Council scheduled for the end of November.
01:28And we need this one to talk about the new proposal then by the president of the European Council in
01:35order to hopefully conclude then just before Christmas.
01:38That is the plan. But it is an ambitious plan. But we are ready to follow it through.
01:44Germany is the biggest net contributor. How much money is Germany prepared to put on the table?
01:52I don't want you to reveal your negotiating position, but tell us about what's at stake here.
01:58What we need is a budget which is sustainable in financial terms and also sustainable in terms of content.
02:07So we need a modernized budget, a budget which focuses on competitiveness, on innovation, on research, on defense and security.
02:17Ukraine?
02:18On Ukraine, of course. And of course, we have these traditional expenditures like agriculture and cohesion.
02:25They will still be a part of the budget. But currently, agriculture and cohesion make about 66% of the
02:33EU budget.
02:34The commission has suggested to reduce it to 50%. And we think that is a sustainable approach to reduce it
02:41to 50%.
02:42It's still than half of the overall budget. So now, basically, we have to build upon this new structure.
02:49But it is still the overall amounts which are contested. And as I said, Germany needs, and we are not
02:57alone.
02:57We have a few partners, you know, the so-called modernizers, to cut it down.
03:01Frugals.
03:02Modernizers.
03:03Modernizers. Okay.
03:05If the member states refuse to increase their contributions, would Germany be prepared to accept new common borrowing?
03:15No. Definitely not new common borrowing. Because we believe if we go down this path, we lose our sovereignty.
03:24What we need to do is to build upon what is affordable. We are also ready to talk about new
03:32own resources.
03:33The commission has put some ideas on the table. We are ready to look into it.
03:37We are not ready into looking into taxing European companies now at the European level.
03:43Because we believe this is adding insult to injury. We want to keep European companies here in the internal market
03:50and not discourage them and to invest them somewhere else.
03:54On Ukraine, we've mentioned it already. On top of the 90 billion loan that is already earmarked for Ukraine, the
04:03country would need several billion, additional billion euros for the war effort.
04:12If you want to bring the budget down, and we have this additional 70 million, that's the number that is
04:21out there on top of the budget.
04:24Does that mean that European farmers and families and other beneficiaries will have to get less so that Ukraine can
04:32get more?
04:33No, this doesn't mean that. Because anyhow, the money which we provide for Ukraine, particularly the 90 billion, which were
04:42made available this year, are outside of the regular European budget.
04:46This is something, it's a loan, which we organized with the help of the headroom, the so-called headroom of
04:52the multiannual financial framework.
04:54So it's outside of the budget.
04:55Now, Ukraine and President Zelensky was present at the summit. He explained again the financial needs.
05:01We have to look into it now, especially for next year. I think leaders saw basically that for this year,
05:09also thanks to the 90 billion, which we organized, Ukraine is, has the sufficient funds.
05:18But we have to make sure that they get over the winter and into the next year.
05:22And then we decided or the leaders decided that now we have to look into details, what is needed and
05:30how we organize the support.
05:32So the discussions on that at the leaders level will continue.
05:36But one thing is very clear. The leaders also reaffirmed their continued support to Ukraine.
05:43So we will continue to support Ukraine to exercise its right of self-defense against the war of aggression by
05:51Russia.
05:51Let me repeat that. So Germany is prepared to keep Ukraine afloat financially, come what may.
05:58Germany stands with Ukraine and the European Union stands with Ukraine.
06:02But of course, we also expect from our international partners, the G7, also to stand with Ukraine and about the
06:09details of the support leaders will have to discuss now.
06:13And the final question, there are more diplomatic efforts underway orchestrated by the Americans to find a way towards peace.
06:29And we've all witnessed the U.S. pressure campaign against Ukraine, especially President Zelensky.
06:37Are you really confident that these diplomatic efforts will lead to something sizable?
06:43We don't see any readiness by Russia to engage in any kind of negotiations.
06:49Russia continues to bombard Ukrainian cities.
06:53Russia continues to kill Ukrainian civilians.
06:57So we are not there yet where anyone can talk with Russia because Russia is not there.
07:03Russia is not ready.
07:05So, of course, our support for Ukraine will continue in this respect.
07:09And the European Union will continue to defend, you know, not only the right of self-defense of Ukraine, but
07:17also the security architecture and the rules-based international order.
07:20So that's what we rely on, that we, Europe, the European Union is now the actor who defends, which defends
07:29the rule-based international order and our security architecture.
07:33Let's come on, let's move over a new reaction here.
07:35Let's see.
07:35Let's move over here now.
07:36Let's move over here.
07:36Flashback star- Jamie turning engines on the handiacs.
07:37Let's move over here.
07:37Get this right here.
07:37The дал featuring state of Delta Doug detta處 has lost Rapun.
