The new political priorities and the compensation of the shortfall in budget caused by Brexit presented the Commission with an un-precedented challenge. During the opening event of the “Brussels Initiative”, an event series jointly initiated by the European Office of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung and the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), the first reactions to the budgetary proposal were discussed with Jan Olbrycht (Member of the Committee on Budgets and MFF Co-Rapporteur, European Parliament), Michael Hager (Head of Cabinet of

Günther Oettinger, Commissioner for Budget & Human Resources) and Ralph Müller (Head of the Fiscal Affairs Department, Permanent Representation of Germany to the EU).