The next long-term budget of the EU should be bigger, despite the loss from Brexit, said the head of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker at a finance conference in Brussels, Euronews reported.

According to Jean-Claude Juncker, such areas as defense, security, migration and agriculture require more funding.

“Our British friends will be leaving us on the 30th of March 2019 so between now and then we need to do our utmost to find the means of reacting to the loss of a significant number of billions of euros, when a net contributor goes,” he said.

The EU’s budget Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said the EU budget would receive less than 12-13 billion euros per year due to Brexit.

“The goal, if we want to increase the EU’s budget, is not to increase the overall European public expenditure, it is to show that there is, by sharing some sovereignty, and thus by putting in certain financial means, greater efficiency and a better control of public expenditure,” said a French MP Jean Arthuis.

Talks on the 2021 budget began at the Brussels conference. Official proposals are expected in June, which then need to be agreed.