EU budget talks reach €960bn agreement

Negotiations on the EU’s €960bn seven-year budget wrapped up last night in Brussels after months of talks that threatened to break down several times.

If passed, the deal — which needs final approval from EU states and the members of the European Parliament — will be a major victory for the Irish presidency of the European council.

The final hours of talks yesterday, led by Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore, eventually produced an agreement which Mr Gilmore agreed represented compromises by both sides.