(ANSA) - BELGRADE, AUG 27 - "Almost two trillion euros for the next EU budget is simply excessive. It is unacceptable that Brussels is debating the largest budget ever, while we at home are forced to tighten our belts. This is why I met with Chancellor Merz and other heads of government from net-contributing countries in Berlin today," Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker wrote in X at the end of the so-called "frugal countries" meeting on the EU budget in Berlin. The Chancellor then set the "priority": "The total amount must be reduced by hundreds of billions of euros." Naturally, I will continue to insist on the discount agreed to in the most recent negotiations, even after 2027. We want to secure funding for sectors that are most tangible to citizens, such as agriculture and our regions." (ANSA).