Since Brexit, the Netherlands has become the country that says no

He is nicknamed the "new Thatcher". Since the departure of the British, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has established himself as the man who says "no" within the Twenty-Seven. This is what he said to Emmanuel Macron, who nevertheless rolled out the red carpet for him at a lunch at the Élysée, Friday, February 14, about the next European budget.

The heads of state and government meet behind closed doors on Thursday in Brussels for discussions of carpet traders on Union resources between 2021 and 2027. Rutte reiterated his position to keep spending under "strict control". A final provocation, he added that the EU had to reduce the resources allocated to agriculture, the sacrosanct CAP (Common Agricultural Policy), defended by Paris. The Hague has taken the lead in a group of so-called "frugal" member states - along with Austria, Denmark and Sweden.

The latter mordicus claim a limitation of the European budget to a maximum of 1% of gross national income, against a proposal

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