Mr Barroso's spokesman accused the UK of putting Robin Hood into reverse

The proposal envisages overall spending of 1.03% of EU gross national income, compared to the 1.06% proposed by the Luxembourg EU presidency in June.

It also cuts development aid to the EU's poorer countries - but balances this with measures to help them absorb the funds available.

President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso on 5 December: "As it is, the UK presidency proposal is unacceptable. It is simply not realistic. This proposal amounts to a budget for a 'mini Europe,' not the strong Europe that we need... Some people say... we need a Europe with ambition in terms of trade, in terms of dimension, in terms of competitiveness. But afterwards, when it comes to the financial means, there is no ambition at all."

Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany on 5 December: "The proposal is disappointing ... all in all it does not help Central-Eastern Europe to catch up (with wealthier members) but preserves differences... It's not the time either for making compromises, or rejecting them. It's the time for talks."

Polish Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz on 6 December: "This is a bad budget, bad proposal and we welcome statements of (EU Commission President Jose Manuel) Barroso and the Hungarians... I still see it as a bargaining strategy, I still believe that it can be improved, but we are running out of time."

Mr Marcinkiewicz on 5 December: "In this form the budget is not acceptable to us... This budget does not abide by the principle of solidarity."

Czech Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek on 5 December: "Certainly this can be discussed and it is a realistic proposal, the British after all de facto cut their rebate by many billions of euro, so I think they approached it quite reputably."

French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy on 5 December: "These proposals do not seem to be of a nature to lead to the agreement for which we all wish... We call on the British presidency... to accept a substantial and lasting reform of the British rebate concerning enlargement spending - a reform without which no fair accord on the financial outlook is possible."

Dutch Finance Minister Gerrit Zalm on 5 December: "(It) is a small step forward, but not enough. They are trying to reduce the total level of spending, that's quite OK."

Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker on 5 December: "I think the British ideas could be promising if Central and East European colleagues can support them, which is something I can't really see, and if the British delegation is willing to make an additional effort on the British rebate."

Latvian Foreign Minister Artis Pabriks on 5 December: "We are quite far from being happy. It seems we are losing more than others, but we have to look more carefully at the individual figures first."

Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany on 2 December: "We want to come to an agreement but not at any price."

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on 2 December: "I am fairly confident that with the new British proposals... we will have a basis so that by the middle of this month we can actually find a consensus."

Belgian Foreign Minister Karel de Gucht on 2 December: "Basically (the British) are admitting they don't want a solution."

UK Conservative Party Europe spokesman Graham Brady on 2 December: "Of course this is surrender. It is precisely what we were worried was going to happen all along. What you have to remember is that the rebate is something we don't have to give up at all. We have an absolute veto. If Mr Blair is prepared to negotiate seriously and play hardball, he doesn't have to give it up at all... The concern is we might get the worst of all possible worlds here. We might see less money going to the new member states, no reform of the CAP and it's going to cost the British taxpayer."

UK Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman Vince Cable on 2 December: "The bottom line is that any deal must involve reform of the CAP as the Government have promised... It is right Britain should negotiate on the rebate, which was entered into when Britain was relatively poorer and the CAP relatively larger. Nonetheless, we should strike a hard bargain, we must insist agricultural reform proceeds quickly and comprehensively."

UK Prime Minister Tony Blair on 2 December: "On any basis, if you enlarge the European Union we have to pay more. The question is making sure we don't pay more than our fair share, but making sure we do pay our fair share."

UK Prime Minister Tony Blair on 1 December: "If we cannot get a large deal, which alters fundamentally the way the budget is spent, then... we will have to have a smaller EU budget."

Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip on 1 December: "Today, we have reasonable expectations to receive from the EU what we were promised when we joined. The new member states were told they will receive a certain amount of aid money, and now we hear of cuts to this. We cannot agree to this."

Johannes Laitenberger, spokesman for the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso on 30 November: "You all know the old story of Robin Hood and the Sheriff of Nottingham. The president has made it very clear that he does not expect the British presidency to take the role of the Sheriff of Nottingham, taking from the poor to give to the rich."

Reply from UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw: "Mr Barroso is a great man but I dare say his spokesman knows less about what happened in Sherwood Forest than some of us. I might send him the film."