Negotiations on EU budget close to collapse

Negotiations on next year’s EU budget are in danger of collapsing unless EU finance ministers can reach agreement by midnight tomorrow.

A special meeting to deal with the 2013 budget ended in chaos on Friday night without even discussing the details as a fight broke out with the European Commission over its request for an additional €9bn to pay this year’s bills.

The fight, pitching budget hardliners Britain, Netherlands, Sweden, Finland and Austria against the others, augurs ill for next week’s summit at which EU leaders are to finalise agreement to cap the long-term 2014-2020 budget at €1.03 trillion.