The Council has limited the increase in payments in 2012 EU budget to 2.02% compared to 2011. This means that in real terms the Council's position would lead to a EU budget freeze. In absolute figures, compared to the amounts proposed by the Commission, the Council decreased the payments by a total of €3.65 billion and the commitments by €1.59 billion.

The Council adopted on 25 of July its position for the 2012 EU budget with the negative vote of Austrian, Danish, Finish, Dutch, Swedish and UK delegations. The payments rise advocated by the Council corresponds almost exactly to the inflation rate of 2% forecast by the Commission for the EU in 2012, which means that in real terms the Council's position would lead to a EU budget freeze. However, next year's EU budget has still to be negotiated with the European Parliament, which is expected to adopt its position at the end of October.

The Council's position for the budget 2012 amounts to €129.088 billion in payments, corresponding to 0.98% of the EU's Gross National Income (GNI), and €146.245 billion in commitments, leaving a margin of €2.14 billion under the total ceiling of the current financial framework. Compared to the amounts proposed by the Commission, the Council decreased the payments by a total of €3.65 billion and the commitments by €1.59 billion. 

According to the Council, its position takes due account of the member states' fiscal consolidation efforts whilst allowing the financing of the EU priorities (such as the measures aimed at tackling the effects of the crisis and at promoting growth). The reductions are targeted at individual budget lines which have been chosen after a thorough examination of the budget implementation in recent years and using realistic absorption capacities. The Council made a special effort as regards EU administrative spending by limiting its increase to 0.5% in payments and 0.4% in commitments compared to 2011. The Council cut its own administrative budget by 5.45% compared to the current financial year.