What will the European Union look like in 2034? Only the most confident fortune-teller would venture a guess. Yet in Brussels a ritual even odder than staring at tea leaves or crystal balls is afoot: trying to craft a budget that will not come into effect for over two years, and will still be in force nearly a decade from today. A first cut of the EU financial blueprint covering the seven-year period from 2028 to 2034 was unveiled by the European Commission on July 16th. The extraordinary challenges the EU faces will have to be met with a very ordinary spending package.