"Shaping the next budget period will be more difficult than before, the wish to spend is greater, but after the departure of the United Kingdom the budget of the union available for redistribution will be spread more thinly. Therefore, the approach we need to take to the budget this time is not simply to regard the needs of the member states, but to focus more on cross-border projects and topics that make more sense to solve together," Kaljulaid said after the meeting.

The union's cross-border projects, among other things, include large-scale transport projects. Juncker reaffirmed that the EU would continue to fund the Rail Baltica project also in the coming budget period. Juncker also thanked Estonia for its successful and productive presidency period, the press service of the Office of the President reported on Thursday.

Kaljulaid also participated in two discussions with leaders of the European Political Strategy Center and the European Union Institute for Security Studies (EUISS) on the future of the EU, joint defense initiatives, and the union's Eastern Partnership.

The president will also attend the world premiere of Estonian composer Erkki-Sven Tüür's 9th symphony, called "Mythos", on Thursday evening.