Six EU net contributors demand hundreds of billions in cuts to bloc's long-term budget

BERLIN, Aug 27 (Reuters) - Six EU countries that pay more into the bloc's budget than they receive back called on Thursday for cuts of several hundred billion euros to the European Commission's proposed long-term budget, setting out a common position as negotiations enter a decisive stage.

Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Austria, Finland and Sweden said in a joint statement that the Commission's proposed budget of nearly €2 trillion ($2.33 trillion) for 2028-2034 should be reduced "in a balanced manner" with all areas of spending contributing to cuts.

Their statement, agreed at a meeting of its leaders in Berlin, was issued as European Council President Antonio Costa tours EU capitals to sound out governments on a deal.

Costa has described reaching agreement by the end of 2026 as a priority. The EU budget, called the ​Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), requires unanimity among all ⁠27 member states.

The countries' demands broaden an earlier German push for a smaller budget. Germany had called in June for a reduction of about €400 billion, warning the current plans were unaffordable.

The countries said the EU should spend more on shared priorities such as defence, competitiveness, migration and sovereignty. They opposed new joint EU borrowing, saying it was "not the solution to our budgetary challenges".

The countries also called for strict rule-of-law conditions on EU funds and said EU institutions should manage their workload with existing staff.

(Reporting by Kirsti Knolle, Editing by Miranda Murray)