Britain must try harder to secure a deal on the European Union budget, European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso said today.
Mr Barroso told reporters he had sent a letter to British Prime Minister Tony Blair making that demand and insisting that it redraw budget proposals to allow for a significant increase in spending over its original proposals and to ensure that new member states were treated more fairly.
He said Britain should accept greater and permanent cuts to its EU rebate.
"New member states must be offered a fairer deal. I believe they need to be offered significantly higher levels of investment than in the current proposal," Mr Barroso said.
