“Deal done!” Herman Van Rompuy, president of the European
Council, wrote after the heads of the E.U.’s state governments agreed during a
Council meeting to a ceiling of €960 for the E.U.’s budget from 2014 to 2020. This
represents a 3 percent cut compared to the previous seven-year budget. Van
Rompuy had proposed a €1.03 billion budget, but the governors felt that
austerity should reach the federal level too. In other words, if the states had
to cut their budgets, the E.U. should not be exempt. Put another way, the fact
that the European Council represents the state governments is relevant to the outcome
from the Council.
