Late discord delays Franco-German deal on cars emissions and "Made in Europe"
A Franco-German agreement on car emissions and the "Made in Europe" principle, which was said to be "hours or days" away, has been held up by late disagreements. Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron urged EU leaders to agree on the bloc's budget by the end of the year.
A deal between France and Germany on car emissions and the EU's "Made in Europe" principle for industrial goods has been delayed by disagreements that emerged at a late stage, Politico Europe reports. The agreement is seen as a way to end a deadlock in EU legislation.
What the EU industry chief said
On 13 October, at Politico's Competitiveness Summit in Paris, EU industry commissioner Stéphane Séjourné said the Franco-German deal on cars and "Made in Europe" was "hours or days" away. He hoped it would help "break the deadlock, particularly in the European Parliament" over the IAA, the legislative file under discussion. The deal has not yet materialised.
Budget talks
Separately, EU leaders are negotiating the bloc's budget, which Politico describes as Europe's biggest negotiation. After an EU leaders' summit, French President Emmanuel Macron warned that an agreement has to be reached by the end of the year, because from January there would be no political room left to conclude one.
On 14 October, the outlet wrote that Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz hold the keys to a budget deal, but that political pressures at home limit their room for manoeuvre.
Ahead of Thursday's summit, Marine Le Pen, the front-runner in France's presidential race, repeated her campaign pledge to cut France's payments to the EU by billions of euros, and said she would downsize the EU.
