European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen highlighted the importance of keeping her signature "green deal" in the EU's long-term budget on Wednesday, as European officials and heads of state gear up for next week's special summit on the bloc's funding plan. 

"If we do not set aside the funds ... we will simply fail to achieve a climate-neutral Europe" by 2050, she told Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in Strasbourg.

"We're all aware of what's at stake here as well. By 2050, Europe intends to be the first climate-neutral continent," she said.

"This isn't just for the health of the planet, although that is of course our overriding objective; we're also aware, however, that if we can create a clean and environmentally friendly economy, then we can create new, sustainable, future-oriented jobs." 

Next week's summit in Brussels has been called to try to find agreement on the bloc's seven-year budget, the so-called multi-annual financial framework (MFF) for 2021-27, with this year's MFF set to end in December. 

The UK's departure from the EU has caused this year's negotiations to be more difficult than the last, with Von der Leyen estimating the shortfall from Brexit would be around 75 billion euros ($82 billion) over the seven-year period, despite the UK's divorce bill plugging some of the gap. 

The overall MFF amount is expected to top $1 trillion.

Fighting factions

One set of EU countries dubbed the "frugal five" – Austria, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden – will likely be unwilling to make up for the UK's lost contributions, particularly with the expected cost of Von der Leyen's green deal.

The so-called "friends of cohesion," a rival group of 16 EU countries mainly from the south and east of Europe, are calling for more money to be put into the pot to continue funding long-term infrastructure, research and administration projects.

Von der Leyen nodded to the divisions over the funding program in her address, saying the EU has to "find the right balance between old priorities and new priorities."

"If you look at the negotiations, well there are many, many member states that strongly defend cohesion policies, and rightly so. And there are many member states that strongly defend the common agricultural policies, and rightly so. But I also expect to see the same dedication when it comes to defending our new priorities."

Legacy

The European Parliament, which has to vote through the MFF agreement, is expected to push for the biggest budget possible, with an eye on putting money into fighting climate change, boosting defense and security, supporting migration policy and competing in digital industry.

While an agreement is unlikely to come together at the 20 February summit in Brussels, EU management are hoping to narrow the parameters of the demands being made by member states.

Charles Michel, the president of the European Council, is hoping to persuade the leaders of member countries to agree an MFF by the end of 2020, with more summits expected this year. 

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But for Von der Leyen, settling the funding plan will be a linchpin of her stewardship, as she hopes to strike a deal that puts 25 percent of the budget into fighting climate change, a goal she set out at the beginning of her tenure. 

While recognizing other demands of the new MFF, she told MEPs that the fight against climate change was crucial: "For citizens, this is our top priority."