The EU Budget Stand-Off: The Areas of Conflict
As the six-month British presidency draws to a close, EU leaders embark on a critical week aimed at breaking the deadlock over the bloc's budget. DW-WORLD looks at the major areas of conflict. With the clock ticking down to the final days before the next budget needs to be signed and sealed, the European Union is locked in a major dispute over who pays how much into the EU pot -- and, just as important, who receives what over the seven years from 2007-2013. Key sticking points are Britain's refusal to give ground on its budget rebate, and French resistance to surrendering support for EU farmers, which swallows about 40 percent of spending. But the stakes are also high for the EU's newer member states, desperate to get hold of EU aid for infrastructure such as motorway and train links, left lagging behind Western Europe by decades of communism. More broadly, failure to agree on a budget would leave the EU scuffling over its budget on a year-by-year basis, threatening regular deadlock in a bloc already hobbled by the rejection of its constitution this year.
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