Northern leaders are asking the EU to do more but with less resources. They're incompatible demands. If you believe the EU must be stronger, then you need to be willing to pay for it. But Brussels-bashing is the easiest lever to pull for unpopular politicians like Merz. My take:
Northern leaders want to cut an EU budget already on a shoestringEU national leaders keep saying they want a union that “does more.” Then they show up in Brussels asking it to spend less.davekeating.substack.comPubAffairs EU Debates, News & Opinions 🇪🇺#EUbudget: Merz rules out company tax and joint borrowing in EU budget. EU “must basically make do with the money it has available,” German chancellor says, by Nette Nöstlinger | Politico