\u201cNever underestimate the Parliament,\u201d its president, Roberta Metsola, warned in a press conference after the vote, insisting lawmakers will not simply “rubber-stamp” the budget proposed by the capitals. <\/p>\n
Parliament\u2019s pro-EU parties \u2014 the conservative European People\u2019s Party (EPP), the Socialists & Democrats, the centrist Renew group and the Greens \u2014 all backed the call for more money for the EU to grapple with challenges such as defense and competitiveness.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe believe we cannot do more with less; that is a myth,\u201d said Siegfried Mure\u0219an, a budget negotiator for the EPP.\u00a0“Obviously the majority of members can only vote in favor if our demands are incorporated into the budget to a satisfactory extent.”<\/p>\n
But these calls have fallen on deaf ears in fiscally conservative countries such as Germany and the Netherlands, which are pushing for a smaller budget.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is sad to see that the European Parliament wants to tackle the geopolitical and geoeconomic challenges of the 21st century with budget priorities deeply rooted in the last century,\u201d said an EU diplomat who, like others quoted in this story, was granted anonymity to speak freely.\u00a0<\/p>\n