German foreign minister wants research-intensive EU budget

‘Investing heavily in the future’—including research—will revitalise Europe, influential minister says

Germany is “rethinking” its position on the 2021-27 EU budget, to prioritise “research, climate protection, technological sovereignty and crisis-proof health and social systems,” according to the country’s foreign minister, Heiko Maas.

In a statement on 12 April, Maas (pictured) said the next EU budget should respond to the Covid-19 pandemic by “investing heavily in the future”, and that Germany’s presidency of the European Council, which will run from 1 July to 31 December and is therefore likely to facilitate agreement on the 2021-27 budget, would focus on this.