Hilal Sarı / Istanbul, July 13 () - EU ambassadors agreed the Council's position on the 2019 EU draft budget in advance of negotiations with the European Parliament. In total, the Council foresees 164.1 billion euros in commitments and 148.2 billion euros in payments for next year’s budget. Compared to 2018, this is a +2.09 percent increase in commitments and +2.34 percent increase in payments. Hartwig Löger, Austrian Federal Minister for Finance made following remarks in the statement made by the Council; "The Council has continued to pursue a balanced approach to the annual budgetary process. "We will make sure that financial resources are focused on our current priorities such as economic growth, migration and security, and the best performing programmes. "Where justified by our analysis, some of the figures proposed by the Commission have been reviewed. "Member states have also ensured that there will be sufficient margin in the budget to react to unexpected needs. "I am pleased that the strong backing for the Council’s position gives the presidency a solid basis for its negotiations with the European Parliament."