Costa to table new EU budget proposal within weeks

European Council President António Costa will present a new negotiation proposal for the EU's 2028-2034 multi-annual budget within a few weeks, following a decision at Thursday's EU summit, according to a senior EU source. Key sticking points include the size of national contributions to the EU budget, new EU taxes such as on tobacco, and budget flexibility to respond to crises, on which no agreement has been reached. The goal remains to reach a deal by the end of this year. Leaders held four hours of talks on the budget, but it is unclear if the 27 heads of government moved closer together. A planned press conference was postponed and then cancelled, with an extra summit on the budget scheduled for late November.