Budget committee rebukes staff over optimistic projections
The memo asked, in one line, whether the deficit could simply not happen. It could not.
By Clara Fontaine · Filed Sunday, 30 August 2026 · Last updated 02:50 CET
What happened
Parliament's budget committee criticised an internal projection note it said understated cost pressures in the next multiannual framework.
Why it matters
Budget projections shape every programme the EU funds, from research to farm payments.
The Brussels angle
Budget fights are the only EU negotiation where every member state can calculate its own gain to two decimal places. That is why they are the hardest.
What happens next
A revised note is expected before the next committee meeting.
Written from these sources
Facts are extracted from primary institutional material and written independently by The Gazette desk.
Parliament Correspondent · European Parliament
Clara FontaineClara Fontaine reports on the European Parliament, its committees and its coalition arithmetic. She counts votes for a living and still occasionally wins.
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