17 EU leaders urge Irish presidency to protect farm funding in next budget

Leaders from 17 European Union countries have sent a letter urging the Irish presidency of the EU Council to protect farm and regional funding in the bloc's next long-term budget, according to Anadolu Agency.

The letter reportedly argues that "overall funding for Cohesion Policy and the CAP must be preserved" in the next Multiannual Financial Framework, or MFF, the EU's seven-year budget cycle that allocates funding across member states for agriculture, regional development and other programs.

The Common Agricultural Policy, or CAP, is one of the EU's largest budget lines and provides income support and rural development funding to farmers across the bloc. Cohesion Policy similarly channels funding toward poorer and less-developed regions.

Negotiations over the EU's next long-term budget typically involve extended bargaining among member states over how funds are distributed between priorities such as agriculture, defense, migration and green initiatives.

Anadolu's report did not specify which 17 countries signed the letter or provide further detail on the Irish presidency's response in the cited excerpt.