Foreign ministers from the European Union have been meeting in Brussels to discuss fundamental reforms to EU finances in advance of the planned enlargement of the union.

The meeting has been dominated by the size of the contribution member states pay into the budget.

Britian - the only EU member with a rebate on its contribution - has refused to re-neogtiate the deal.

Germany and other wealthy members of the union want to control spending, which is opposed by poorer members who do not want to see deep cuts to their subsidies.

Austria -- which holds the current presidency of the EU -- said all fifteen member states have agreed to reach a deal by March next year.