BRUSSELS — It’s only November, but gift-giving season has arrived in the EU.

Facing an emboldened European Parliament intent on voting down her plans for the EU’s next long-term budget, Ursula von der Leyen handed out concessions. The changes she made to the European Commission’s budget proposal managed to appease the centrist groups in the Parliament, and did so without angering EU countries.

But lawmakers are already signaling they’ll be back to ask for more.

Bowing to the Parliament’s demands shows the new dynamics at play between the EU’s main institutions, with von der Leyen paying extra attention to an assembly that now leans further right than ever before and has already tried to bring her down on several occasions. It shows that she needs the Parliament on side, and is prepared to go to great lengths to make sure that happens.

MEPs had been restless for weeks about plans for the next seven-year EU budget. Many were furious about how the Commission wanted to handle EU cash for regions and farmers, and they threatened to vote down the plans on Thursday. To head off that rebellion, on Sunday von der Leyen offered several changes to its initial proposal, including introducing a “rural target” for capitals’ agricultural spending and giving regional leaders more power to determine how cash is distributed.

The compromise showed von der Leyen was prepared to bow to many of the Parliament’s demands — a rare move by the Commission at this stage of budget talks. Previous budget negotiations have seen the Parliament all but ignored for large parts of the process.

It helped that many of the changes are already on some EU countries’ budget wishlists, and would have likely ended up in the text anyway. The changes will now be added to the legal text by the Council, as withdrawing and re-presenting the Commission’s proposal would majorly delay the process.

Yet many lawmakers are still grumbling that they want a bigger say on how the budget shapes up. “The proposal on the rights of the European Parliament [is] weak. We should get more decision power, [not non-binding] working groups and coffee meetings,” said Green MEP and budget expert Rasmus Andresen. “The big question is if the Council will accept the additional ideas or not.”

There have been three motions of no confidence filed against von der Leyen by the Parliament this year and while she defeated them all comfortably, they have exposed deep divisions within the centrist alliance that has long ruled the roost in Brussels. So von der Leyen is paying closer attention to what MEPs want from the Commission.

The size of right-wing and far-right groups swelled in the last election, destabilizing the centrist majority that usually backs her — her own political family, center-right European People’s Party, plus the Socialists and Democrats and the liberals of Renew. The EPP has repeatedly threatened to team up with the far right, planting distrust and blowing up negotiations.

“This is the most unstable Parliament ever. It is very difficult for the Commission to predict their moves and what to expect from votes, it’s generating a lot of frustrations in the Berlaymont,” an EU official said when the centrists failed to back a deal on green rules for businesses, key to von der Leyen’s agenda. The official was granted anonymity to speak freely, as were others in this piece.

Setting a precedent

By appeasing the Parliament on the budget by suggesting changes that are acceptable for EU countries, von der Leyen has avoided a boxing match between the EU’s co-legislators — for now.

On one side of the ring is the EU Council, representing the countries. It wants to protect its status as EU top dog, and believes that the Parliament should simply rubber-stamp the budget once it has been agreed upon by national capitals (as is envisaged in the EU’s official rules).

On the other side? The most polarized Parliament in history, keen on securing power and pushing for its position to be greater.

“We can do whatever we want, we can use our consent power … we would be dumb not to use it,” said a senior Parliament official after the Commission’s concessions, echoing the views of many of his colleagues. “The Council should not play too much on the institutional role … we have the power so we will use it until the very end to try to get more concessions.”

That echoes fears from EU diplomats representing countries who, in recent weeks, had warned the Commission against giving in to the demands of MEPs.

“The letter from the European Parliament setting has nothing to do with agriculture and regions. It’s about an inter-institutional struggle,” said an EU diplomat last week. “They are using the weakness of the Commission to strengthen the role of the European Parliament in the budget negotiations.”

Spokesperson for the Commission Balazs Ujvari said Monday the EU executive has “listened to these discussions and the positions formulated by various actors.”

“As a matter of general practice, the Commission acts as an honest broker, ready to move things forward by clarifying and suggesting proposals,” he said.

More demands incoming

While the lead negotiator on the budget, EPP lawmaker Siegfried Mureșan, was quick to claim victory for the Parliament, officials from the S&D and Renew are already drawing up future demands. What those will be won’t be clear until the groups’ top brass meet in the coming days.

“We appreciate President von der Leyen’s efforts to address the issues,” said an S&D official, but the proposal is a “cosmetic change that does not address the real concerns expressed by the leaders in their letter.”

The official also argued that “the role of the European Parliament is left behind” and that the Socialists want a greater role in establishing how EU funds are spent.

“Our main goal is having an ambitious [budget] fit for the challenges of the current global context and that serves our people. This can only happen with an amended proposal meaningfully reflecting the Parliament’s key requests,” the official said.

A liberal official argued that the group wants to see more EU-generated revenue streams to finance the budget, such as EU-wide taxes, and a more binding say by regional governments on how national capitals spend the bloc’s cash.

“Renew’s approval is also linked to this,” the official said.

Gabriel Gavin contributed reporting.