- Jean Claude-Juncker said countries must ‘rethink’ their contributions after 2020
- He warned that projects will have to be scaled back or binned unless cash found
- EU facing funding black hole when UK stops its big controbutions post Brexit
Jean Claude-Juncker today told member states they must cough up more cash to bankroll the project amid warnings the EU faces a £12.5bn a-year funding black hole after Brexit.
The European Commission President said it cannot be ‘business as usual’ and countries will have to ‘rethink things’ and loosen their purse strings.
He took a swipe at countries who he said ‘don’t want to pay more’ but want the Brussels club ‘to do more’.
And he warned that projects to beef up security along Europe’s borders in the wake of the refugee crisis could be imperiled if they do not properly fund it.
Jean Claude-Juncker (pictured in Brussels today) today told member states they must cough up more cash to bankroll the project amid warnings the EU faces a £12.5bn a-year funding black hole after Brexit
Theresa May has ruled out Britain continuing to pay huge amounts into the bloc’s budget after Brexit – raising the prospect that projects will have to be scaled back or binned if they cannot plug the gap.
EU sources have estimated the bloc faces a funding gap of 14 billion euros a year – the equivalent of £12.5bn – after the current seven-year budgets ends in 2020.
Speaking at a press conference in Brussels to launch the bloc’s new fundraising drive as they draw up the next budget, Mr Juncker said member states will have to dig deep.
He said: ‘Member states are going to have to rethink things.
‘Some member states don’t want to pay more but they want to do more. Other member states want to receive more.’
Theresa May (pictured outside Stormont on Monday)has ruled out Britain continuing to pay huge amounts into the bloc’s budget after Brexit – raising the prospect that projects will have to be scaled back or binned if they cannot plug the gap.
The EU Commission today laid out a set of proposals to try to raise the funds to keep projects – like creating an EU Army – going.
In a statement accompanying it, Mr Juncker said: ‘Budgets are not bookkeeping exercises – they are about priorities and ambition.
‘They translate our future into figures. So lets first discuss the Europe we want.
‘Member states must back up their ambition with money to match.
‘And while we all need to understand that business as usual is not n option for this upcoming discussion, I firmly believe that we can square and agree on a budget where everyone is a net beneficiary.’
Brexiteers have warned that the EU is staring into a cash-strapped future without the massive cheques Britain has been paying into the project.
And they have said this will give the UK leverage in negotiations to demand a good free trade deal in return for any continued payments.