Costa calls for EU’s 2028-2034 budget to guarantee enough funding for defense

European Council President António Costa has called for a new approach to the European Union’s next long-term budget, saying the bloc’s current geopolitical situation demands more money for defense and security.

Speaking in Bucharest alongside Romanian President Nicusor Dan, Costa said the conditions facing Europe today differ completely from those in 2020, when the current 2021-2027 budget was being designed. “This new reality requires a new approach, a new structure and a new way of allocating our resources,” he said in a statement to the media.

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This new reality requires a new approach, a new structure and a new way of allocating our resources.

Costa said the 2028-2034 budget must allow Europe to “strengthen its defense and security, develop its competitiveness and innovation, and build greater strategic resilience.” He linked collective security closely to the EU’s eastern border, including the Black Sea, and pledged that Romania would continue receiving support from its European partners.

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strengthen its defense and security, develop its competitiveness and innovation, and build greater strategic resilience.

“We understand that Romania’s security means the security of all Europe,” Costa said. He also stressed that support from the EU and its member states for Ukraine would not be weakened by Russia’s attempts to intimidate and divide.

Costa is touring European capitals through Sept. 4 to gather ideas and set priorities for the bloc’s political direction and agenda in the coming months. Dan reiterated Romania’s interest in sustaining Moldova’s EU accession process. The European Commission has proposed a budget of almost €2 trillion for 2028-2034, and EU members are expected to agree on the package before the end of the year.

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We understand that Romania’s security means the security of all Europe.