In Delfi.lt, the Lithuanian Free Market Institute (LLRI), as part of the EPICENTER network, argued that much of the EU’s diagnosis on competitiveness is accurate, but that the answer is not necessarily a larger EU budget. Drawing on analysis by LLRI and its EPICENTER partners, the article shows that the 2028–2034 budget could be set at around €1.54 trillion. LLRI expert Edas Matulaitis stressed that the debate on competitiveness should not be reduced to how much more money to spend. He argued that new priorities such as competitiveness, security and defence do not automatically mean an ever-larger budget, and that barriers to business and investment must be removed first. The article adds that Lithuania’s upcoming Presidency of the Council of the EU is an opportunity to help shape a budget policy that strengthens competitiveness.