British Prime Minister David Cameron during a visit to Rome on Tuesday agreed to disagree with his Italian counterpart Mario Monti over proposals to increase the EU budget.
“We cannot go on increasing EU spending. The EU has got to start living within its means,” Cameron said after his meeting with Monti, one week ahead of a key summit on the EU budget next week.
For his part the Italian leader said at their joint news conference; “We also want a budget that looks towards the future but we are less convinced about the need to reduce the EU budget.”
Monti, a former European commissioner, added: “Using British understatement, I would say our positions have points that are not completely aligned.”
Cameron and Monti did agree however on the need to move swiftly to implement decisions taken by the European Council earlier this year to secure greater growth and said they would be writing a joint letter to European Union leaders.
“We both believe that we share a unique asset in the world’s largest single market. We need even more focus on this,” Cameron said.
European leaders are set to hold a budget summit in Brussels on November 22 and 23 to decide on the bloc’s 2014-2020 accounts.
Cameron has threatened to veto the budget if it includes increases in spending at a time when member state budgets are being cut.
Both Britain and Italy are net contributors to the EU budget.
Britain, Italy agree to disagree over EU budget raise
