Dear Prime Minister, dear Andrej. First of all, thank you very much for your warm and very constructive meeting today and for welcoming me to the beautiful city of Prague, as this wonderful backdrop shows. It is essential for me to engage with all the leaders in their home countries, because in our Union, every voice, every national position, matters.
We are reaching a decisive moment in the negotiations on our next European budget for 2028 to 2034. The geopolitical environment has changed since we approved the current budget in 2020. Now, more than ever, we need to invest in defence and security, competitiveness and innovation, and strategic resilience. This means being consequential about our ambitions. Modernising our next budget so that we deliver on our new priorities, while preserving the key pillars of support to our regions – cohesion and agricultural policy.
At the same time, like national budgets, the European Union budget must deliver on its priorities within the limits of finite resources. Most of it is financed through member states’ national contributions. And we need to keep those contributions within reasonable limits. That is why new own resources will also be a crucial element of the overall package. They will help reducing national contributions and at the same time, to support ambitious investment.
It is essential that we reach an agreement by the end of this year. Why? Because we cannot allow any interruption in European funding to vital projects and policies in 2028. To reach this goal, we need to work together in a spirit of European unity. I am grateful for your constructive approach on this issue, dear Andrej. And I am confident that, all together, we will rise to the challenge.
Affordable energy is fundamental for Europe’s competitiveness, especially for our industry. Czechia is an industrial leader in Europe. That is why it was so important for me to hear your perspective. Ensuring affordable and competitive energy prices is key, both for our citizens and for our industry. Therefore, we need to accelerate our work to reduce energy costs, while pursuing our efforts on the clean transition and decarbonisation in a technology-neutral way – that means, nuclear or renewables.
Protecting the future of our industries is also a matter of strengthening Europe’s security, and this requires a responsible and balanced approach. This is one of the main objectives of the European Union’s “One Europe, One Market” agenda, to complete our single market.
At the same time, supporting Ukraine, Moldova and the Western Balkans on their European paths is an investment in Europe’s security and prosperity. I very much appreciate the Czech Republic’s constructive and coherent engagement in this area. We must continue to move forward with a fair, transparent and merit-based process.
Every member state has its own priorities and ambitions, influenced by its geography and circumstances. Prime Minister, dear Andrej, listening to your views is essential to help shaping our common response. Because Europe’s strength comes from its unity.
And like seven years ago, we will reach a good agreement [on the next long term budget] at the end of this process.
Thank you.