In his view, the chances of reaching an agreement on the EU's long-term budget by the end of the year are relatively slim.

Prime Minister Janez Janša of Slovenia estimates there is a 35 percent chance that leaders of European Union member states will agree on the long-term budget for the bloc by the end of this year. Speaking at the EU summit in Brussels, Janša emphasized that Slovenia will continue to advocate for maintaining funding for cohesion and agriculture policies during negotiations over the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for the period 2028–34. “I think the chance of reaching an agreement by the end of the year is 35 percent, nothing more,” Janša said, noting that the MFF will be one of the central topics discussed at the summit. He added that Slovenia will remain firm in its stance to defend funds for the Common Agricultural Policy and cohesion policy. Janša, who has participated in negotiations over the EU’s long-term budget four times before, expressed regret that despite Slovenia's potential, the country still heavily relies on cohesion funds. He recalled his hopes during the negotiations in 2005, when he was part of the government, that Slovenia would soon become one of the countries striving to allocate fewer resources to others rather than seeking more for itself. However, he noted that since 2008, progress has been minimal. According to Janša, given that Slovenia is still deeply embedded in cohesion policies, it is crucial that the group known as the "cohesion friends," which includes Slovenia and 16 other member states, remains united and grows stronger. Based on past experiences, he explained, compromises are typically reached between those advocating for cohesion funds and those pushing for a smaller budget. The Irish presidency of the Council of the EU recently presented a proposal for the negotiation framework, suggesting a budget size of around €1,825 billion, which is €160 billion less than the European Commission's proposal from July of last year. Ireland maintained the level of funding for agriculture and cohesion while reducing allocations for competitiveness, defense, and external action. The Irish proposal also includes some updated suggestions for new own revenue sources for the EU budget. However, Janša did not see any innovations in the Irish proposal. New own revenues, which Slovenia supports, are considered key to finalizing the EU budget agreement for 2028–34, according to European Council President Antonio Costa. Negotiations on these revenues have entered a decisive phase, with the goal of reaching an agreement by the end of the year. In recent days, several member states, including Italy, the Netherlands, and Austria, have stressed that the content of the agreement is more important than the deadline.