The European Union could still reach an agreement on its multi-annual budget at its next summit in February, dpa quoted the bloc's president Herman Van Rompuy as saying on Wednesday. "I am still optimistic to get an agreement ... preferably in February," Van Rompuy told journalists at a joint press conference in Dublin with Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny. Ireland has just taken over the bloc's rotating presidency. Negotiations in November on the bloc's 2014-20 budget were inconclusive, as EU member states disagree over whether to prioritize cuts, in response to the economic crisis, or spending, to boost growth and jobs in the bloc's poorer regions. -- SPA
