EU leaders reach deal on long-term budget
Historic budget
In July, at the outset of Germany’s presidency, the bloc’s 27 heads of state and government agreed to the finance package after four days and nights of tense negotiations. The Germany ambassador to the EU, Michael Clauss, recalled in the webinar how the talks came close to breaking down several times. But Chancellor Merkel and Charles Michel the president of the European Council succeeded in reaching a consensus that took all states interests into account.
However, several months later, Poland and Hungary vetoed the package over the planned Rule of Law Mechanism. For a long time, both EU members have taken flak from the European Commission and European Court of Justice (ECJ) for undermining the rule of law. Poland and Hungary finally accepted the mechanism after the remaining 25 member states agreed to modify and delay its implementation.