Claudiu-Richard Târziu, ECR MEP, criticizes the European Union’s draft budget for the 2028–2034 period, accusing the European Commission of economic unreality, neglecting agriculture, and turning decarbonization into an ideological dogma.
The European Commission has proposed a record budget of nearly two trillion euros for 2028–2034, aimed at transforming the European Union into a green, digital, and secure power. However, according to MEP Richard-Claudiu Târziu, behind these ambitions lie structural flaws and a lack of strategic coherence that could undermine the very foundations of the Union.
“An Impressive Budget in Size, but Flawed in Design”
“It is an impressive budget in size, but flawed in design. Beyond ambition, the document ignores the very pillars that support the Union’s stability: agriculture, economic cohesion, and energy realism,” said MEP Richard-Claudiu Târziu.
The Commission seeks to merge the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) with the cohesion policy — two areas that differ in objectives and mechanisms. The result, Târziu argues, is a dilution of support for farmers, at a time when they are facing high costs, recurring droughts, and the pressure of environmental standards.
“Food security is an integral part of strategic security. Without viable agricultural production, neither Europe’s autonomy nor its resilience can be guaranteed. Treating agriculture as an annex to green policies is both a political and economic mistake,” Târziu underlined.
“Decarbonization Has Turned from Strategy into Dogma”
The green transition, considered essential for Europe’s future, has, in the MEP’s view, become a form of economic dogma.
“Decarbonization policies are increasingly rigid and based on utopian targets. Instead of being a strategy for efficiency and modernization, decarbonization has become a moral — almost religious — criterion,” he stated.
The consequences could be severe, Târziu warns: the relocation of investments to more flexible economies such as the U.S. or Asia, social losses in industrial regions, and, ultimately, the idolization of nature instead of a balanced use of resources.
Between Defense and Food: An Unbalanced Equation
The proposed budget significantly increases funding for defense and security — a measure justified by the current geopolitical context. Yet, Târziu warns of the risks of internal imbalance.
“A Europe that neglects its food autonomy is not a secure Europe. A food crisis would paralyze the continent faster than a military one. If the EU allocates tens of billions for common defense while reducing agricultural support, it is defending a Europe that can no longer feed itself,” he cautioned.
An Unrealistic and Overstretched Budget
The projection of nearly two trillion euros relies, according to the MEP, on unrealistic assumptions: constant economic growth, new revenues from green taxes, and full cooperation among member states.
“Without genuine own resources — such as a guaranteed share from ETS and CBAM revenues — the whole system depends on national contributions, already contested by several states. Political consensus is becoming increasingly difficult to achieve,” Târziu explained.
Proposals for a Realistic and Efficient Budget
In the MEP’s view, the course can be corrected through five concrete measures:
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A clear separation between agricultural and cohesion policies.
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A rational green transition, adapted to the real capacity of economies.
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The creation of sustainable own resources, not based solely on member states’ contributions.
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Automatic mid-term budget review (in 2031).
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Prioritization of investments in energy, industrial, and agricultural infrastructure.
“Europe Needs Realism, Not Rhetoric”
In conclusion, Richard-Claudiu Târziu considers that the 2028–2034 budget, in its current form, expresses an ambitious vision disconnected from reality.
“A Union that wants to be simultaneously green, militarily strong, and socially egalitarian risks being none of them. We must place the human being back at the center of European policies. Only then can we build a viable Union — one that lives not on illusions, but on results,” the MEP concluded.
