Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Union, has criticized the budget cuts proposed by Germany and other so-called "frugal" countries, which she believes would undermine key priorities for the EU. She wants the EU budget to increase by 60% over the next seven years, reaching a total of 2,000 billion euros for the period 2028–2034. During a recent debate in Strasbourg with European parliamentarians, von der Leyen warned that "massive cuts" in the next budget could seriously harm essential projects that all member states have agreed on. She emphasized that the priorities outlined in the multiannual financial framework are the correct ones and should be preserved. Germany, along with Austria, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, and Sweden—often referred to as the "frugal" countries—has called for reducing the EU budget by "hundreds of billions of euros." In a joint opinion piece, these nations argued that the budget proposed by the European Commission is "not realistic" and too focused on pre-allocated subsidies and transfers. They believe it leaves too little room for joint investments in areas like security, defense, innovation, and efforts to combat illegal immigration. In contrast, 17 countries from the South and East of Europe have formed a bloc known as "the friends of cohesion." This group supports a more generous budget that benefits farmers and provides aid for social and territorial cohesion. To help fund these new priorities, the European Commission has proposed increasing the EU's own resources, such as through environmental taxes or tobacco taxes. These discussions about the budget and potential new sources of revenue are set to be a major topic at the summit of European heads of state and government, which will take place in Brussels on October 15 and 16.