LUXEMBOURG, June 21 (UPI) -- A tentative deal on the European Union's 2014-20 budget was thrown into doubt as ministers hinted the Irish EU presidency was trying to ram the deal through.
Soon after Irish Deputy Prime Minister Eamon Gilmore issued a statement Thursday saying negotiations were "concluded," other EU ministers posted on Twitter or issued statements denouncing what they said was an attempt to steamroller them into a deal, EUobserver.com reported.
Germany's Reimer Boege, a member of the negotiating team, resigned.
In his statement, Boege said referred to an "alleged agreement" and said he could not offer "binding support for, let alone defense of, the present texts."
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"That is why I decided to lay down my post as rapporteur for the multi-annual financial framework, a position I held since 2004," he said.
Negotiations were between the Irish presidency and the Parliament's main budget negotiators, including lead negotiator Alain Lamassoure, a French center-right deputy.
Gilmore noted the agreement had been reached with Lamassoure, EUobserver said.
"It's he [Lamassoure] who reached agreement with the Irish presidency last night," said official told EUobserver. "It's up to him to go and present to the rest of MEPs [members of the European Parliament] now."
The matter may come to a head Tuesday in Luxembourg because by then political groups will have decided whether to green-light the compromise and put it before the bloc's Parliament, where a majority -- 375 -- of members must give their approval.
Members say their main complaints are the overall size of the budget -- 960 billion euros, about $1.3 billion -- is too small, the budget is too inflexible and is focused on the wrong policy areas.
