EU budget talks near climax

EU budget talks are heading into a final endgame, report many European newspapers.

The picture painted by the press is one of frantic diplomacy to secure an EU spending deal for 2007 to 2013 at a Brussels summit this Thursday.

Poland and Spain are resigned to a one per cent GNI cap on spending –  a cut urged by Europe’s richest countries.

Rome is pushing for extra aid for Italy’s poor southern regions as regional cash moves to Europe’s new, poorer, East.

London and Paris are trading blows over the British EU rebate and ring-fenced Brussels farming subsidies  - which benefit France..

Germany is seeking to mediate the rows and urging EU capitals to ditch “national egotism”.

German foreign minister Joschka Fischer took a pessimistic slant stressing that Thursday’s EU summit is likely to only produce an interim result

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder ruled out any big changes in agricultural budgets before 2013 after meeting UK leader Tony Blair yesterday.

Blair will face French leader Jacques Chirac in Paris today, the UK press expect him to be “diplomatic but firm”.

But the Elysée has pulled out of a joint press conference following the Anglo-French talks.

London has shown signs the UK might accept a Luxembourg presidency plan to freeze the rebate at €4.6 billion a year as a means of resolving budgetary disputes in the 2007-20 period.

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