The latest proposal increases cohesion policy funds by EUR 11bn, which had been a key demand by net recipients of EU funds such as Slovenia.

"Any increase in cohesion funds is a step in the right direction for us, but it is not a big enough step compared to the funding our calculations suggest would be needed," Janša told reporters.

The odds of an agreement are "no bigger than yesterday" Janša said, but he noted there was a change of a partial deal that would allow the member states to finalise certain figures and focus on open issues in the coming months.

There have been some changes for the better, but the differences between the member states are still big and some still demand cuts worth billions, he said.

The budget talks were suspended yesterday to give member states time to study Rompuy's latest proposal for a EUR 972bn budget, down from the European Commission's original proposal of EUR 1.09trn.