BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The Netherlands is willing to pay more into the next EU budget but the figures must take into account the Brexit hole, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said after the bloc’s national leaders failed to agree on their joint spending from 2021 in two days of fraught talks.

“We are willing to pay more because we are accepting that the budget will go up with economic growth and inflation,” Rutte told reporters, but stressed the reality of losing Britain’s contributions must be taken into account.

He said a proposal late on Friday aimed at breaking the deadlock was rejected by beneficiaries of the EU budget just as much as the “frugal” camp seeking to rein in spending.

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