Six EU countries want EU spending capped

Six EU countries want to cap future EU spending, a move which will make it harder to fund aid to poorer regions.

In a letter sent to Commission President Romano Prodi, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, UK and Austria – countries which pay most into the EU’s coffers - said that expenditure should not exceed 1 per cent of the EU's gross national income (GNI) from 2007 onwards.

This move will badly hit Spain and Poland, and comes shortly after these two countries were blamed...