Portugal's foreign minister says new EU budget a "bad start"

LISBON, May 2 (Xinhua) -- Portugal's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Augusto Santos Silva, on Wednesday described the European Commission's post-2020 budget for the European Union (EU) as a "bad start".

In comments made to local journalists in Lisbon, Santos Silva added that "Portugal would show the same constructive attitude as always so that, having got off to a bad start, we can end the process well."

He was responding to the proposed EU budget for the years 2021 to 2027, the first to factor Brexit into the equation. With no financial contributions from the United Kingdom, the overall budget will be smaller and resources will have to be reallocated.

Cuts of up to 5 percent are proposed for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and EU cohesion will be afforded reduced funding. But there will be increased spending on migration support, security and defense, foreign policy and humanitarian aid.

"Cohesion policy and the CAP have been essential elements in terms of European integration and economic and social convergence among member states and they should remain central priorities," said Santos Silva. "They should not be the adjustment variables." Enditem