
EU's von der Leyen says new budget fit for 'new era'
She added that the plan proposes a shift in how the EU organises key funds, while linking funding closely to the rule of law and keeping member state contributions steady.
The proposal aims to triple the budget for migration and border management and to double the Horizon research fund, while 35% of the budget would be spent on climate and biodiversity.
An agreement on the new EU budget requires backing from all 27 member countries and sign-off from the European Parliament.
($1 = 0.8645 euros)
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


ITV News
25 minutes ago
- ITV News
What do locals in Scotland think of Donald Trump?
Donald Trump is on a trip to Scotland, but what do people make of his visit? ITV News' Ben Chapman reports from Turnberry The US President Donald Trump is now halfway through his private visit to Scotland. He is here primarily to play golf and to open his newest course, but he is fitting in meetings with the prime minister, first minister and president of the European Commission. He is famously proud of his Scottish heritage, but what do people here make of this unusual presidential visit? Locals in Girvan, the closest town to Trump's luxury golf resort, had mixed views ahead of his arrival on Friday. One man said: 'There's enough trouble going on in the world at the moment without Donald Trump coming to Scotland to play golf. He's flying thousands of miles for a game of golf. I think his focus should be elsewhere. If anything good comes of it, then great, but I have my doubts.' While a woman said: 'I think it's great that he visits Scotland because his mother is from Scotland and he has invested a lot in Scotland. "He employs a lot of people in the region, and he looks after the places where he is running his business, which is great for this local economy.' "He's just such a controversial figure, and I just don't understand what he's up to. He's just causing chaos and confusion around the whole world," another man said. 'The US government won't be paying for it because it's a private trip, so I think the bill will land at the doorstep of the Scottish people. He should take some of his profits and pay for the expenses.' This mother and daughter had different views on whether Trump's visit was welcome or not. The mother said: 'I don't think it's worth it. Not for a private visit. There will be local disruption, and there is a cost implication as well. I mean, the Americans will obviously pick up some of the security, but there will also be an obligation on Police Scotland. I mean not just to police the visit but also the protests that are going to obviously result over the weekend.' Meanwhile, her daughter said Trump "brings a lot of good things to the community here". "I don't agree with everything that he does politics wise, but I think he's done a lot for the area, and I think, well, good luck to him," she added. On Friday night at Prestwick airport, more than 1,000 people camped out with deck chairs and picnic blankets to catch a glimpse of Air Force One touching down on Scottish soil. Many waited for hours to claim their spot. Surprisingly, there were no obvious protesters. Instead, the crowd was made up of dedicated plane spotters and locals who were excited to have the President of the United States and his plane land in their town. Some wore Make America Great Again caps and carried pro-Trump flags to welcome him. Samuel Ackroyd and James Swan were among those who waited more than eight hours to catch a glimpse of Air Force One. They told ITV News: 'I like Trump, but it's mainly about seeing Air Force One. 'This is a big bucket list item for aviation enthusiasts. Many of us want to see the Boeing 747-200. 'It's a great privilege to see the President of the United States land here.' A mother and her son, who came down from Fife, said: 'We've come down from Fife today to see President coming for the first time. We've never plane spotted in Ayr before but we wanted to be here today for this.' On Saturday morning, Trump was out on the golf course bright and early, but unlike his last visit as president, there were no protesters on the beach next to the Turnberry course. There was just the odd Trump supporter hanging around to try and see him in person. This couple travelled to Ayrshire from Liverpool to show their support. The man said: 'We support MAGA (Make America Great Again) and Trump and what he's doing. We've just made our way down to the golf course to try and catch a glimpse of him. Mainly because it might be the only chance we ever get to see him here. I know he's doing a state visit in London, but that will be all private escorts and everything, so we thought we'd try to see him while we can.' In the afternoon, planned anti-Trump protests took place in Aberdeen and Edinburgh, far from the president's eyes. Many there said they were frustrated and angry that he is being welcomed by our prime minister and first minister, and that he is coming on a private golfing trip that is costing taxpayers here. 'Trump's not welcome in Scotland. He has done too much damage globally. He's a global leader, but he doesn't like one or think like one. And we didn't vote for him here, yet he's here in Scotland today, and we're not happy about it. "He claims Scottish heritage, but he is not from Scotland. He doesn't share our values. We care about people. We care about diversity. Scotland has people in every single country in the world. He's just focusing on making America great. What does that even mean? It doesn't mean anything.' 'He wants to come and see his businesses, then let him pay for the security. Let him pay for the police. He's always bragging about how rich is, even though he didn't release his tax returns. So let him use some of all that money that he's had from all that winning and all those fantastic trade deals. 'He keeps telling everyone he's really wealthy and he's got all this money. Let him pay for it. I see, absolutely no reason why we should pay one penny for that orange walloper.' 'I am an American living here now, and he is just an embarrassment. I don't even want to go back to America right now. This is just a little part I can do because I'm not there. I can still vote, but I can't go to any protest there, so I just want to come out here and support everyone. I feel good that there are other people sharing my sentiment. 'He's like an evil genius. I don't know what it is, but he's Teflon Don. That's his nickname. These people are just kissing the ring because they feel they need to. "And I think once he is gone, whether it's a cheeseburger too many or whatever, I think it'll all go away because I don't think anybody has his level of depravity.' On Monday, Trump is set to meet the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer. On Tuesday, he will open his new golf course in Aberdeenshire, which is named after his Scottish mother, Mary Anne MacLeod. He is due to leave Scotland on Tuesday afternoon.


The Independent
25 minutes ago
- The Independent
Prime Minister to meet Donald Trump to discuss ceasefire in Gaza
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is expected to meet US President Donald Trump to discuss a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the war in Ukraine. On Monday, Sir Keir will travel to Scotland to meet the president on his golf course at Trump Turnberry, Girvan, Aryshire, where he has been playing golf since Saturday morning, and where he met European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday afternoon. After a meeting, the world leaders will travel on together for a further private engagement in Aberdeen. Mr Trump will visit the UK again in September for his second state visit. On Monday, the leaders are expected to discuss progress on implementing the UK-US trade deal, hopes for a ceasefire in the Middle East and applying pressure on Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine. They are also expected to talk one-on-one about advancing implementation of the landmark Economic Prosperity Deal so that citizens of both countries can benefit from boosted trade links between their two countries. The Prime Minister is also expected to welcome the president's administration working with Qatar and Egypt to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza. A spokesperson for Number 10 said it was expected they will discuss 'what more can be done to secure the ceasefire urgently, bring an end to the unspeakable suffering and starvation in Gaza and free the hostages who have been held so cruelly for so long'. The war in Ukraine will also be up for discussion with both politicians 'set to talk about their shared desire to bring an end to the barbaric war' according to Number 10, and expected to 'reflect on progress in their 50-day drive to arm Ukraine and force Putin to the negotiating table'. A spokesperson for the UK Government said: 'The UK and the US have one of the closest, most productive alliances the world has ever seen, working together to cooperate on defence, intelligence, technology and trade. 'The UK was the first country to agree a deal with the US that lowered tariffs on key sectors and has received one of the lowest reciprocal tariff rates in the world. 'Businesses in aerospace and autos are already benefiting from the strong relationship the UK has with the US and the deal agreed on May 8. 'The Government is working at pace with the US to go further to deliver benefits to working people on both sides of the Atlantic and to give UK industry the security it needs, protect vital jobs, and put more money in people's pockets through the Plan for Change.'


Reuters
26 minutes ago
- Reuters
US and EU strike deal with 15% tariff to avert trade war
TURNBERRY, Scotland, July 27 (Reuters) - The United States struck a framework trade agreement with the European Union on Sunday, imposing a 15% import tariff on most EU goods, half the threatened rate, and averting a bigger trade war between two allies that account for almost a third of global trade. U.S. President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the deal at Trump's luxury golf course in western Scotland after an hour-long meeting that pushed the hard-fought deal over the line. "I think this is the biggest deal ever made," Trump told reporters, lauding EU plans to invest some $600 billion in the United States and dramatically increase its purchases of U.S. energy and military equipment. Trump said the deal, which tops a $550 billion deal signed with Japan last week, would expand ties between the trans-Atlantic powers after years of what he called unfair treatment of U.S. exporters. Von der Leyen, describing Trump as a tough negotiator, said the 15% tariff applied "across the board", later telling reporters it was "the best we could get." "We have a trade deal between the two largest economies in the world, and it's a big deal. It's a huge deal. It will bring stability. It will bring predictability," she said. The deal, which Trump said calls for $750 billion of EU purchases of U.S. energy in coming years and "hundreds of billions of dollars" of arms purchases, likely spells good news for a host of EU companies, including Airbus, Mercedes-Benz and Novo Nordisk, if all the details hold. The baseline 15% tariff will still be seen by many in Europe as too high, compared with Europe's initial hopes to secure a zero-for-zero tariff deal, though it is better than the threatened 30% rate. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz welcomed the deal, saying it averted a trade conflict that would have hit Germany's export-driven economy and its large auto sector hard. German carmakers, VW, Mercedes and BMW were some of the hardest hit by the 27.5% U.S. tariff on car and parts imports now in place. But Bernd Lange, the German Social Democrat who heads the European Parliament's trade committee, said the tariffs were imbalanced and the hefty EU investment earmarked for the U.S. would likely come at the bloc's own expense. The euro rose around 0.2% against the dollar, sterling and yen within an hour of the deal's being announced. The deal mirrors key parts of the framework accord reached by the U.S. with Japan last week, but like that deal, it leaves many questions open, including tariff rates on spirits, a highly charged topic for many on both sides of the Atlantic. Carsten Nickel, deputy director of research at Teneo, said it was "merely a high-level, political agreement" that could not replace a carefully hammered out trade deal: "This, in turn, creates the risk of different interpretations along the way, as seen immediately after the conclusion of the U.S.-Japan deal." "We are agreeing that the tariff ... for automobiles and everything else will be a straight-across tariff of 15%," Trump said, but he quickly added that a 50% U.S. tariff on steel and aluminum will remain in place. Von der Leyen said that tariff would be cut and replaced with a quota system. Von der Leyen said the rate also applied to semiconductors and pharmaceuticals, and there would be no tariffs from either side on aircraft and aircraft parts, certain chemicals, certain generic drugs, semiconductor equipment, some agricultural products, natural resources and critical raw materials. Trump appeared to suggest pharmaceuticals would not be covered, leaving some question about that aspect of the deal. No fact sheet was immediately issued by the White House. "We will keep working to add more products to this list," von der Leyen said, adding that spirits were still under discussion. Eric Winograd, chief economist at AllianceBernstein in New York, noted the similarity with Japan's U.S. deal. "We will need to see how long the sides stick to the deal. From a market perspective, it is reassuring in the sense that having a deal is better than not having a deal," he said. The deal will be sold as a triumph for Trump, who is seeking to reorder the global economy and reduce decades-old U.S. trade deficits, and has already reached similar framework accords with Britain, Japan, Indonesia and Vietnam, although his administration has not hit its goal of "90 deals in 90 days." He has periodically railed against the European Union, saying it was "formed to screw the United States" on trade. Arriving in Scotland, Trump said the EU wanted "to make a deal very badly" and said, as he met von der Leyen, that Europe had been "very unfair to the United States". Trump has fumed for years about the U.S. merchandise trade deficit with the EU, which in 2024 reached $235 billion, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. The EU points to the U.S. surplus in services, which it says partially redresses the balance. Now he argues, his tariffs are bringing in "hundreds of billions of dollars" of revenues for the U.S., while dismissing warnings from economists about the risk of inflation. On July 12, Trump threatened to apply a 30% tariff on imports from the EU starting on August 1, after weeks of negotiations with the major U.S. trading partners failed to reach a comprehensive trade deal. The EU had prepared countertariffs on 93 billion euros ($109 billion) of U.S. goods in the event there was no deal, and Trump made good his 30% tariff threat. Some member states had also pushed for the bloc to use its most powerful trade weapon, the anti-coercion instrument, to target U.S. services in the event of a no-deal.