On 8 July 2026, the Council of the European Union adopted its position on draft amending budget No 2/2026, updating revenue (own resources) and adjusting expenditure, and issued a statement criticising the European Commission for omitting the “national contribution” calculation from the budget financing presentation. The Council argues that this omission reduces transparency and breaks with EU financial reporting standards established since at least financial year 2007, limiting stakeholders’ ability to analyse Member State contributions to the EU budget. The Council invites the Commission to reintroduce the national contribution calculation in future draft budgets and draft amending budgets, noting that the adoption of this position is without prejudice to future or ongoing legislative deliberations affected by the notion of national contributions.
The document, an 'I' item note, is scheduled for discussion at the Council meeting on 15 July 2026. The Council's position formally updates revenue from own resources and adjusts expenditure, but the accompanying statement signals a broader concern about budget transparency. The Commission had discontinued the calculation of total current transfers paid by each Member State's general government to EU institutions, a practice the Council says has been in place for nearly two decades. The Council's demand is procedural but carries implications for future budget negotiations, as Member States rely on clear national contribution data for domestic scrutiny and political accountability. The Commission has not yet responded to the Council's invitation. The amending budget itself is a routine update, but the transparency dispute adds a layer of institutional tension between the Council and the Commission over budget presentation standards.