Germany and Spain go head-to-head in EU budget fight

DUBLIN ― Germany and Spain used separate POLITICO opinion pieces to clash over the total size of the EU’s next approximately €2 trillion seven-year budget, setting the scene for tough negotiations to strike a deal before an informal end-of-year deadline. With talks entering what officials hope will be their final few months, capitals are fighting against each other to save their pet projects and spare their taxpayers from sending more money to Brussels. But after almost a year of painstaking negotiations, countries still seem far away from a landing zone — with disagreements growing stronger by the day, as underscored by the two articles from rival camps.