EU leaders clash over farm subsidies and defence spending in budget talks

European Union leaders clashed over the Common Agricultural Policy and other traditional funds during negotiations for the bloc's next seven-year budget, with governments split on the overall size and allocation of the package. The summit on Thursday was not expected to yield a breakthrough, but rather to intensify pressure toward compromise. Taoiseach Micheál Martin acknowledged a "real divergence of opinion" between those seeking a lower budget and those wanting to protect traditional programmes like CAP and cohesion funding, versus those favoring modern priorities such as defence and migration control. Ireland, holding the EU presidency, proposed trimming a draft €1.7 trillion package, drawing criticism from Commission President Ursula von der Leyen over reduced flexibility. A coalition of "frugal" states including Germany and the Netherlands wants cuts of several hundred billion euro, while Italy, Spain, and Poland lead a larger group demanding CAP and cohesion be safeguarded. The next budget runs from 2028 to 2034, with leaders aiming to agree on its size and funding by year's end.