With EU budget battle underway, Commission proposes to increase own resources

Summary

EU leaders are meeting in Brussels to talk about the bloc's next seven-year budget, set to go on for the next six months. The European Commission proposed last July a two-trillion-euro seven-year spending plan for the 27-country bloc -- which so-called frugal countries immediately made clear was too high. In the opposing camp, France, long a supporter of common debt, is pushing for ambitious spending as the bloc strives for independence in the technology and defence fields. In the middle, the Commission suggests to develop its own resources. FRANCE 24's Dave Keating tells us more.