Danish prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen said EU leaders have "a window of opportunity" to reach agreement today on the bloc's future funding. But asked by reporters if leaders need to strike a deal on the EU's 2007-13 budget today, he said this is not strictly necessary. Speaking as he entered the second day of a two-day EU summit, Rasmussen described the latest budget proposal of the Luxembourg presidency as "a step in the right direction", but called for more spending on research and development. Earlier, Swedish prime minister Goeran Persson said he doubts leaders will reach agreement today, and that it would be better to wait another year. The Swedish prime minister, whose country is one of the six net contributors to the EU budget, said: "It is better to take a year more and continue to negotiate."