France’s Macron warns EU leaders they need budget deal before year-end, say diplomats

By Michel Rose BRUSSELS, Oct 16 (Reuters) French President Emmanuel Macron has warned EU leaders they should agree the bloc s next long-term budget before the ​end of the year because elections in several ‌countries, including France, will make a deal harder to secure, two diplomats said. EU leaders met in Brussels on Thursday night to discuss the bloc s next seven-year budget, which requires unanimous approval and ‌routinely ​triggers some of the EU s most ⁠contentious negotiations between net ⁠contributors and net recipients. The 2028-2034 spending plan is no exception, with a special summit scheduled for late November in an effort to reach agreement. It s true. ​If you don t do it now, it will be even more difficult in 2027 and we won t ⁠be ready in 2028, a ⁠diplomat from a northern European country familiar ​with the discussions told Reuters. An eastern European diplomat, confirming the ​French warning, said the end of December was not ‌a hard deadline, but negotiations should